The Wrong Kind of Place
by opalheart12
Summary: When Sookie and Bill broke up, she decided to move to New York to pursue a medical degree. 5 years later, when she returns, everything is different and Bill is engaged to someone else. How we she handle it and how will she get him back?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own True Blood…..though I wish I owned Eric…**

**A/N: I got this idea while I was listening to 9 Crimes by Damien Rice. The following songs are songs you should listen to while reading this:**

**9 Crimes by Damien Rice, Wild Wolves by Athlete, Flowers for a Ghost by Thriving Ivory, Run by Snow Patrol, A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay.**

**Those songs are what inspired this story and they are awesome songs. **

The rain pattered down on the windshield of my Volvo as I drove down the deserted I-54 road that lead to Bon Temps, Louisiana. I could not believe I was coming back here. I had told myself that I wouldn't, but I somehow felt like I had to. I was smarter, not the naïve girl I'd been 5 years ago. I was almost thirty years old now and I felt a great deal more accomplished now than I ever had in my life. I was ready to come back here after seeing the world in a whole new light like I had.

As I pulled up to the house I'd spent the majority of my life in, I noticed that the paint that had been chipping before I left was now perfectly white with no chips at all. The driveway that had always been a problem for me was now completely redone. Smiling just barely, I took my umbrella and got out of the car, walking up to the front porch.

I unlocked the door and was greeted with the sight of what was home to me. Everything was exactly as I remembered it, only cleaner. After making sure everything in the house was in order, I went back outside to get the three large bags of clothing and belongings I had brought with me from New York.

After everything was unpacked and I was completely settled in, I decided to get dressed and visit a few places I hadn't been in a very long time. I showered and put on some True Religion jeans I'd gotten as a birthday gift from a friend back in New York and a green floral shirt with some green sandals. I put my newly honey blonde hair half-up and half down before applying light green eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and a small layer of lip gloss. I grabbed my car keys off the end table and walked out to my Volvo, thankful that the rain had let up now.

The first place I went was the floral shop, where I got a new bouquet of white lilies before going to my grandmother's grave. I put them on top of her headstone and stood there for a few minutes, staring at it.

"Hi, Gran. I'm back now. I finished medical school up in New York and I decided to come back here for good," I said. "I miss you a lot, Gran, and I know you'd be proud of me if you were here now. But you're in a better place and I know you're smiling from wherever you are." I smiled, blinking back a few tears. I kissed my hand and touched it to her gravestone before leaving the cemetery.

The second place I went to visit was Jason's house. If I remembered correctly, he would've been home from work already at this time. I knocked on his front door four times as I waited for him to answer the door. I was staring at one of his bushes when he finally opened the door.

"Sookie?" he said.

I looked up and smiled. "Hi, Jason." I replied, smiling at him. My eyes traveled up to his head and I noticed that he was bald. Completely and utterly bald. I gasped.

"Jase, what happened to your head?" I asked.

He swallowed and looked away. "Why don't you come inside?" he said. I nodded and followed him into his house. He handed me a glass of iced tea as I sat down on the sofa.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Sook." He said.

I smiled shortly. "Actually it's Casey now. I changed my name."

Jason looked like he thought I was playing but when he saw the serious look on my face, his frown fell. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "If I was going to be a doctor, no one would take me seriously with a name like that. It's my middle name now."

Jason nodded. "Well, regardless a what your new name is, you'll always be Sookie Stackhouse to me." He said and we were both quiet before I decided to speak.

"Jason, what happened to your head?" I repeated.

He looked up at me and looked away before standing and staring at a painting he had on his wall. "I got brain cancer." He stated quietly.

I gasped and my hand came up to my mouth. I got off the sofa and ran to him, hugging him as tight as possible. "Oh, my God, Jase, I'm so sorry!" I said as tears came to my eyes.

"It's okay, Sook, really."

"How bad is it?" I asked, breaking away and looking up at him.

He sighed. "Stage 3. I'm due for surgery in a few weeks to take the tumor out then I'll be on chemo for safety issues after that."

I quickly blinked back the tears as I hugged him again. "Oh, Jason, I'm so sorry. Everything's gonna be okay, alright? You'll get through this. I know you will. You're one of the strongest people I know, Jason." I said.

He smiled and laughed, being the Jason I missed so much. "I know. But, why don't we stop talkin' bout this now. It's makin me depressed. How was life in New York?" he asked.

We sat down on the sofa again and I told him everything from how college was to all the people I'd met. It felt a lot like old times and an hour later, I decided to leave. I still had one other place to go.

When I pulled up to Merlotte's, I parked and got out of my car, making sure I my makeup still looked good. I walked into the restaurant I hadn't visited in five yeas. The same people were still there. Arlene was on the phone, possibly yelling at her kids whom I was sure were in their teens now.

Tara was still working the bar and Lafayette was still cooking in the kitchen. There were a few waitresses I didn't recognize but for the most part everything was the same here. Tara happened to look up from wiping the bar and a look of astonishment crossed her face.

"Sookie?" she gasped loudly. The entire restaurant went quiet now. Lafayette glanced up from the hamburger he was making and his eyes went wide.

Tara walked from around the bar and I noticed then that her stomach was ginourmous.

"Oh, my God, girl where have you been?" Tara asked, hugging her best friend, whom she hadn't spoken to in a long time.

"I was in New York, going to medical school. I'm staying here for good now, though. I got a job at the hospital up in Shreveport." I said, hugging her tightly before pulling away.

My eyes went to her stomach and I smiled. "And what do we have here?" I asked.

Tara rolled her eyes just as Lafayette came up to us. "Well, it's good to see yo ass ain't dead in a ditch somewhere. We thought yo crazy ass dropped off the face a the goddamn Earth." He said.

I laughed and hugged him tightly. "Well, I'm back now. I got a job at a hospital here. I'll be working the pediatric wing." I said.

Just then a familiar old voice spoke. "Are my eyes deceivin me?" I looked behind Tara and saw Sam standing there. I squealed and ran at him hugging him tightly.

"Oh, my God, Sam! I haven't seen you in so long!" I said before I broke away from him.

"So, how is everything?" I asked. Sam walked over to Tara and wrapped his arms around her.

"Tara and I are married now." Sam said. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Are you serious? That's amazing! And you two are expecting, I see!" I said. I was completely blown away. It seemed like these two had no chance in hell together and now they were married.

"Yep! Second and third munchkins." Tara said.

I gasped. "Twins? Oh, Tara Thornton, I'm surprised at you! I'm gonna have to come over and babysit."

"You probably will. Candace will like you. And when Kendrick and Cassidy come along, they'll like you, too." Sam said. I couldn't help smiling at the two.

"I'm so happy for you two. I'll admit I'm a little shocked at everything but I'm still happy, all the same." I said before sitting at the bar.

"You want anything to eat?" Sam asked.

I smiled. "A burger and a Sprite would be nice." I said.

Sam smiled and told Lafayette who gave me one of his "hooker, please" looks. I smiled and went through my Blackberry, answering e-mails and text messages from friends back in New York. I had just gotten my food when I felt a change in the air.

I spun around and saw the man who'd broken my heart standing there with another woman on his arm. They were holding hands and I noticed that they were both wearing rings on their fingers. I pushed my plate away, suddenly losing my appetite.

"Somethin' wrong?' Tara asked.

I shook my head. "I'm just not hungry anymore. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said before getting up from the bar. I had to push back the tears in my eyes with such force it was unbelievable. I felt my heart shattering at the sight. I walked up to him. He had to at least know I was back.

"Hi, Bill." I said, smiling falsely at him. I prayed he and his fiancée and or wife couldn't see the tears in my eyes.

"Sookie?" he asked in complete and utter disbelief. The woman next to him, who I noticed was blonde and blue eyed, gave me a scathing look.

"It's actually Casey now. I changed my name after I finished medical school up in New York. I'll be working the pediatric wing at Shreveport General now." I said smiling lightly.

Once he got over the shock, he smiled back, although I noted that his smile was false, too.

"Well, that's good to hear. This…this is my fiancée, Rachel Livingston." He said.

I had to force back another round of tears as I smiled the thousand watt smile I smiled when I was uncomfortable. "Fiancée? That's…well, that's amazing! When's the wedding?" I asked.

As if I really wanted to know.

"It'll be here, actually, at my home in about three months. It'll be at night, of course." He said, smiling here.

As if I really wanted to go.

"Sounds awesome. I'll come, if I'm not working. And congratulations, too. She's definitely…stunning. You did good picking her." I said.

As if I really meant that.

Rachel Livingston was a horrible person and from the thoughts I could hear in her head, she was a jealous, insecure, faithless bitch. But of course, I wouldn't say anything about that.

"Thank you. I guess I'll see you around then." Bill said.

I nodded. "Yeah. See you around." I said, my voice cracking at the last word. I rushed past the two as the tears came down my face. I didn't know if Bill, or anyone else for that matter, had seen me crying and I didn't care. All I knew was my heart felt like it was being stomped on.

I sat in my car for at least 10 minutes, collecting myself before I decided to visit one last place. Fangtasia.

**A/N: So what do you think? Review and subscribe!! **


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: So the two reviews I got for this really made my day and I'm writing the third chapter right now. I hope you've been listening to the music, too. I would recommend listening to Wild Wolves by Athlete during the intense scene in this chapter…hope you enjoy!!**_

The more I drove toward Shreveport, the more I began regretting my decision. Hadn't it once been my life's ambition to cut Eric Northman out of my life? Sighing, I continued driving. I'd already wasted enough gas and there was no use turning back now.

As I pulled up to Fangtasia, I felt my heart leap at the sight. There was no one outside. Not a single soul. There was only one car parked in the lot and I knew for a fact it wasn't Eric's car. I got out of my own vehicle and walked to the front door, pulling it open.

Ginger was no longer here, as it wasn't her who was setting up for when the club actually opened, but Pam was there, sitting at a table filing her nails while Chow wiped down the bar. I frowned.

"Is Eric here?' I asked from my place in the doorway.

Pam and Chow looked up, ready to fight, but relaxed when they saw it was me. Pam looked rather surprised and Chow just looked pleasantly shocked.

"Ah, Sookie, you're back. Where'd you go anyway? It was boring around here without you." Pam said.

"I went to New York. Now I'm back. Do you know where Eric is?" I asked again.

"Oh, him? He doesn't come here much anymore. I mean, he owns the place and all but ever since he became King of Louisiana, his business kind of involves him being centrally located in New Orleans."

Shock swept through me. _King_ of Louisiana? I swallowed. "So, who's the sheriff of Area 5?" I asked.

Pam looked back down at her nails. "Bill Compton." She said.

I couldn't have felt anymore surprise and shock there. I shook my head, trying to absorb all this information at one time. I sighed. "What the hell happened around here?" I muttered to myself before walking out of the bar.

It had been a mistake coming here. A waste of gas and time. I was beginning to wonder if I had wasted my time coming to Bon Temps at all. I hadn't even asked Pam where in New Orleans Eric might be or how he even got there in the first place.

Nothing felt right or sane anymore. I felt like I was in an alternate dimension, a bad dream I just couldn't wake up from. I was wondering if the next strange thing I would find out would be that Lafayette was straight. I had to laugh at that. That was about as possible as pigs flying.

Somehow, through all my thoughts, I ended up back home, about the only place that was normal. I looked down at my Blackberry and noticed it was almost 11:30 p.m. I would definitely have to get some rest for my shift at the hospital tomorrow.

I woke up at around 6:30 the next morning. Sighing, I went into the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal. I showered and got dressed for work, putting on some lavender colored scrubs and leaving my hair down. I grabbed my purse and keys before leaving for Shreveport General.

When I got there, I parked and walked inside, catching the elevator to the fifth floor, where the pediatric ward was. I walked to my office and set my purse on my desk before I walked to the nurse's station in the middle of the floor.

A short woman with dark hair and brown eyes was sitting there, examining charts and forms. She looked tired, and I didn't blame her. I would've been tired, too. I had woke up at the crack of ass morning and I still needed some coffee if my mood was going to change anytime soon.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Casey Stackhouse and you're Nurse Sheila Hart, right?" I asked.

The woman looked up and smiled. "That would be me. Now, here are your charts for all your patients today. Your first one is at 9:45 this morning; a sweet girl named Emma Hamby. She's been coming here for years with her sister. But then her sister Jessica disappeared." Sheila said as she held a stack of papers in her hands.

I swallowed hard. I knew where Jessica was: living with Bill Compton and that faithless whore of a woman he called a fiancée. I'd remembered Emma from when I had taken Jessica to see her house and she'd ended up running inside. She was a sweet girl, though I wasn't sure what Bill did to make her and her family forget about the incident. Obviously, he hadn't killed them, or at least her.

"That's too bad. Anything else I should know about her?" I asked.

Sheila sighed and looked down at the paper. "Well, her parents were killed about six years ago when she was ten years old. Police said it was a vampire that killed them but Emma doesn't remember a thing. She lives with her Aunt Charlotte now. She's a sweet girl, though, very quiet sometimes."

I nodded. "Thank you, Sheila. Do you know where the coffee is? I'm gonna need a lot of it to wake me up."

Sheila smiled and pointed to the elevator. "Food court's on the eighth floor. You can get some coffee there, if you want."

I thanked her and took my charts before walking down the hall to the elevator. There was no one inside at this time of the morning, so I had the luxury of being alone. Sighing, I was reminded that I was thirty years old and I was _still_ alone. It made me wonder if I would die old and alone with no children and fifteen cats with ridiculous names.

I finally got to the eighth floor and walked out into the food court. There was a small café in the center where a young woman was sitting on a stool, watching the TODAY show on the TV overhead.

"Excuse me?" I said.

The woman turned around and had an agitated look on her face. Her nametag read Kelly. She looked about as eager to take my order as a cat did playing cards with a dog: uninterested.

"Listen, Kelly, I know you'd rather be watching stuff on volcanoes in Iceland and Toyota's car problems, but I really need a Frappacino with caramel on the top and bottom, please." I said sympathetically.

Kelly rolled her eyes as she typed in the order. "Total's 5.42." she said.

I took out my Chase Sapphire card and handed it to her. She gave me a scathing jealous look before swiping the card in the register. She then handed it back to me with the receipt and a pen. I signed it and gave it back to her before getting my Frappacino and walking back to the elevator.

I was excited for my first official day working in the medical field. Med school had been hard but interesting, annoying but enlightening. Med school helped me see the world in a completely different way, and now that I am a doctor, I am realizing what I can do to help the world. It sounds completely and utterly cliché but it's the truth.

I looked down at my Blackberry and noted it was almost 9:15 a.m. I had at least 30 more minutes to finish my Frappacino and get ready for my first appointment with Emma Hamby.

The girl was a spitting image of Jessica and for a minute, I had to make sure it was really Emma and not Jessica. The only difference was height and eye color. Emma was probably and inch or so shorter than Jessica now and instead of Jessica's gray eyes, Emma had brown ones. She was looking down, fidgeting with her hands.

"Hello, Emma." I said, knocking lightly on the open door of the examination room. She was there alone.

Emma looked up as I came in and smiled briefly. "Hi." She mumbled.

I closed the door behind me and stood in the middle of the room. "Well, Emma, I'm Dr. Casey Stackhouse. Most people just call me Sookie."

A look of confusion crossed Emma's face. "Why?"

"It's my real name," I answered. "Now, I'm going to check you out and make sure you're all good and then I'll ask you a few questions. That sound good?" I said cheerily.

"I guess." She replied.

And so, I commenced with the checkup, allowing Emma to talk whenever she wanted, when she talked at all, if she talked at all.

The rest of the checkup went smoothly with me telling her to make sure to eat healthy, exercise, and such before she left to go do blood work in the lab on the third floor.

As Emma left, I felt a pang of disappointment, and I wasn't sure if it was because I had hoped she might recognize me or that she would open up more to me. But, I was her doctor. Kids usually had a tendency to be scared of doctors.

Deciding not to dwell on this thought, I went through my next six checkups before taking a break for lunch which was at around 6:00p.m. I would be working until around 11 so I could have something to do. I decided I would go to the McDonald's near the edge of Shreveport. Sure, it was far, but it was the best McDonald's I'd ever gone to in my life. New York didn't even compare to this.

I stood in line, tapping my fingers absently against my Blackberry as I waited my turn in the line. Finally, I arrived at the cashier counter and ordered some chicken nuggets and fries with a Sprite and sweet and sour sauce. My food came a few minutes later and I sat down to eat, enjoying the food that was of great comfort to me.

I had just finished eating the nuggets when I looked up and saw a blonde woman with blue eyes. Rachel Livingston. She was holding a little boy who looked to be about four years old on her hip and she sat him down on the ground while she ordered their food.

_What the hell is she doing out here?_ I thought as I went back to eating my fries. Just then, I felt a tugging on my pants. I looked down and saw the little boy there; staring up at me with the hugest green eyes I'd ever seen in my life.

"Hi, miss. You're pretty. I've seen you before. My Uncle Bill has a picture of you by his fireplace." He said, his voice high-pitched.

I smiled at the little boy. "Why, thank you, young man. But you should go back to your mommy. She's probably worried sick about you." I said.

The boy smiled and laughed. "No, she's not. You wanna see my toy car? It's red and shiny and—"

The boy stopped speaking suddenly and looked like he was choking. He was coughing quickly. I got up and looked at him, assessing what might be wrong.

"Are you alright?" I asked. The little boy fell to the ground and started shaking. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head and he was beginning to foam.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I screeched before dropping to the floor and holding his head up.

"David!" Rachel yelled as she turned around and saw me bending over her son. She cut her eyes at me as she ran over to her son. "What did you do to him?" she yelled.

"I didn't do a thing! Now, back up! You have to allow him to finish his seizure. Any attempt of you trying to stop it can cause further brain damage. Back up!" I yelled.

Rachel didn't listen. She dropped down next to me and was trying to pick David up.

"Stop! You're going to kill him!" I yelled.

"I don't want you touching my son!" she yelled.

"Well, do you want him to die, then?" I yelled back. Rachel paused and put her son down. I could see now that his seizure was slowing down. I pulled him closer to me and cradled his head in my lap, holding his head up and letting him finish. He stopped after about five minutes and the ambulance was here now.

Rachel was standing nearby crying. It was obvious this hadn't happened before. I sighed as the ambulance put him on a gurney. I looked at Rachel and stood up to go talk to her.

"They're going to take him to Shreveport General, and I'll treat him there." I told her before I walked out past the ambulance to my car. I was faster than the ambulance and arrived back at the hospital three minutes before they did.

"How do you feel now, David?" I asked as I rubbed circles on the little boy's hand. He was awake now, though obviously very tired. His huge eyes were opening and closing slowly.

"My head hurts." He whined.

I smiled. "It'll get better, alright? I'll send someone in with some medicine to make the headache go away. You just get as much rest as you can." I said, standing up and walking away from the room.

I walked to the waiting room holding the CAT scans, biopsies, and MRI's in my hand. Rachel was sitting there, still crying, talking on the phone to someone. I waited patiently while she finished.

"He's your _son_, Steve…What do you mean 'You don't care'...He had a _seizure..._Of course, you wouldn't know. You haven't seen him!...Just, get out of our lives if you're not going to care, Steven, but your son needs you and he always will." Rachel said before hanging up. She looked up at me and was about to say something when the elevator made a dinging noise and out came _him_.

I swallowed quickly and found slight tears coming up but I wiped them away quickly. He ran (at human speed) to Rachel and she cried into his shoulders.

"I came as soon as I could." He said.

Rachel continued crying as he held her. I couldn't help but notice that Bill refused to look at neither me or the air and space around me.

"Everything is going to be alright, Rachel." He said. For a fleeting moment, I was brought back to when he'd said the same words to me when I discovered my grandmother's dead body in my kitchen. I cleared my throat awkwardly before Rachel finally turned to me. Bill did, too, although I noted it was very reluctant.

"Ms. Livingston, I'm sorry to tell you this, but the biopsies and MRI's are showing that David is an epileptic,"

Rachel turned back to Bill and sobbed into his chest again. "No!" she wailed.

I waited a few more minutes before I continued on. "His seizure may have been without cause, as most epileptic seizures are, and he will have to be on treatment for it to keep it under control. We will be keeping him here overnight for observation and more tests, and if we feel it is best, he will be able to go home. He will have to come back once every two weeks to make sure there's nothing more wrong with him, though." I explained.

Rachel bit her lip as she wiped away her tears. She sat down in one of the chairs, probably to steady herself. I sighed inwardly before turning around to walk back to my office. I closed the door behind me and sat in my chair.

Tears came to my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. She hadn't even said thank you for me saving her son, whom she'd inadvertently tried to kill. More tears came when I thought of the way Bill had held her. It made me sick and angry. How could he have proposed to me, left me, cheated on me, and used me? How had I let him? How was it that when I came back to Bon Temps he was engaged with a soon to be stepson? Forget it. I opened my purse and took the silver flask I had inside out, taking a swig from it.

While in New York, I'd developed somewhat of a drinking habit. Nothing strong: usually just a wine cooler or some of the other low strength alcohol, though I was beginning to think that I would need something stronger after leaving work. Perhaps I would stop at Merlotte's on the way home.

Just then, my office phone rang.

"Dr. Stackhouse speaking." I said.

"_Dr._ Stackhouse? Well, I will admit it is most definitely a far cry from _Ms._ Stackhouse." A velvety voice that reeked of liquid trouble said on the other end of the phone.

I sighed. Eric Northman. Something in me was happy that he called but also agitated. There was a lot on my plate right now.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Well, Pam told me you came by Fangtasia looking for me. Any particular reason why?" he asked.

"Not really, just wondering why I feel like I'm stuck in an alternate universe where cheating ex boyfriends are sheriffs and blonde vampires are kings and best friends are married and brothers have cancer. It's taking a while to get used to." I said.

Eric laughed over the phone and I found myself smiling, despite the pain I was currently feeling. "I assume. Though, Sookie, you may have to come and visit me soon. I find New Orleans to be a very becoming place." He said.

"When time allows it, I will. At this moment, I currently work as a doctor at Shreveport General working shifts from 7 in the morning to 11 at night and the only off day I have is Sundays which will be completely filled with watching NFL games and cooking, so when time allows it, Eric, I'll come and visit you." I said sarcastically.

"Why you like working, I will never understand." He muttered.

"Why you're an ass, I will never understand." I replied.

We were quiet for a few minutes on the phone before I decided to speak. "Did you know that Bill was using me while he was with me?" I asked.

There was a three second pause, then, "No, I did not."

"And did you know that he is also engaged to a human woman who has one child?"

"No, I did not." He replied again, although much more sharply.

"Are you absolutely certain?" I asked.

"Would I ever lie to you, _Dr._ Stackhouse?" Eric asked.

I let out a soft laugh. "Of course, you would. You're Eric Northman. I'd consider you alien if you didn't."

Eric laughed again, and I felt myself smiling once more. "I suppose that is true, but about Bill Compton, I assure you I knew nothing of his intentions with you." He said. I could hear the truth and conviction and Eric's voice and I knew he wasn't lying to me.

"Well, Eric, that makes me feel a lot better." I said.

Just then, there was a knock on my office door.

"Listen, I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon. Bye." I said, hanging up the phone.

"Come in." I said.

The doorknob turned and in the doorway stood Bill Compton. I gave him an exasperated look. I could see hurt, anger, and sorrow written in his eyes and for a moment, I almost felt for him, but the feeling was quickly gone.

"Is there something you need to say, Mr. Compton?" I asked. I couldn't believe myself. Had I actually called him that? I shook my head. But I knew that this was what I would have to do to let him go.

"I wanted to thank you for saving David's life. If you weren't there, I'm not sure what would've happened. I'm glad you were there to help him." He said.

I slung my purse over my shoulder and cut off my computer, grabbing my keys and my jacket before cutting off the light and stepping into the hallway. I locked my office door and turned to Bill.

"I was just doing my job, Mr. Compton." I said with no emotion before I turned and walked away from him.

I wasn't sure if he knew that I was crying when I turned away from him, that my heart was breaking piece by piece. I wasn't sure if he would ever know.

_**A/N: Did you like it? Review and tell me what you'd like to see!! More soon!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'm back! I've gotten really good reviews for this and I'm so happy right now. Thank you to everyone who reviewed so far. **_

_**Has anyone seen the cover of DETAILS this month with Alexander Skarsgard, Stephen Moyer, and Ryan Kwanten on different covers? Alex looks awesome, by the way. On with the chapter!**_

I drove away from the hospital that night with tears in my eyes. I knew I would have to let him go at some point but I had just been hit with startling revelation. I still loved him. I was at home sooner than I thought. I saw a light on in the living room and I reached under the driver seat for my pistol I carried with me at all times before cautiously leaving my car.

The front door opened and I pointed my gun at the figure on my porch. They were very tall but I couldn't their face clearly. I heard a very familiar and rumbling laugh.

"Sookie, you shouldn't be so afraid, though I do commend your use of protection. It's nice to see you learned _something_ about valuing your life in New York." The voice said.

I put the gun down and sighed. "Really, Eric, you were about to get yourself shot." I said, putting the gun in my bag.

"Yes, but I would've still been alive after that, though very agitated, but when it comes to you, my reaction may have been a different one. I like a woman who knows how to fight." He said.

I rolled my eyes and wiped them again before taking out my house keys and walking inside my house. Eric followed behind me to the kitchen. I busied myself making a late dinner which consisted of Ramen noodles. My friend, Teresa, had gotten me hooked on them back in New York.

I still felt tears coming to my eyes as Bill Compton was still lingering in my thought process. I wiped my eyes as I took the noodles from stove, drained them, and began pouring the seasoning in. Eric eyed me speculatively as I sat down at the table.

I shoved a forkful of noodles into my mouth. "What?" I asked with my mouth full.

Eric raised an eyebrow and walked closer to me, as if examining me. "Have you been _crying_?" he asked, as if he thought that entire concept was absurd.

"And if I was?" I questioned.

"I would want to know why. Explain." He said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Allergies." I answered.

Eric looked at me as he sighed. "I may be old, Sookie, but I am far from stupid. Why were you crying tonight? I heard you even as you came up the driveway."

I shrugged. "Why are you here?" I shot back. "Shouldn't you be taking care of your regal duties down in New Orleans?"

He smiled. "Yes, but those can wait. Since you have no time to visit me, I decided to visit you."

We were quiet for a few minutes as I finished eating. I put the bowl in the sink and started washing it. The tears were almost gone but I just couldn't stop them. Bill Compton had an affect on me no one else had and it was pissing me off. Why was I crying over him after everything he'd done to me? Why was I even thinking of him? When I was done, I sat back down at the table, taking out some papers from the hospital I needed to look over.

"So, Eric, how did you suddenly become _King_ of Louisiana?" I asked absently as I read a chart and started filling it in.

"Sophie Anne was killed in an ambush while in Nevada. The king there lured her out to the desert where one of his men tied silver around her and left her out in the sun. Since I am the oldest vampire in the entire state, the position went to me." He explained.

"And Bill, he's not very old, and I was under the impression that age meant power. Eric, what I'm getting at here is," I said as I put my pen down and looked up at him. "Why is Bill the sheriff of area 5? You could've given that to Pam. She's older than him."

Eric didn't say anything for a few seconds. I stared at him for a while, trying to see if I could get something out of him. I couldn't. I stood up from the table.

"Look, I appreciate the visit, Eric, but I've had a long day and I'm tired, alright? I need to think about some things." I said.

"Sookie, I gave the position to Bill because as much as I despise the hold he has over you, I couldn't stand to see him in the state he was in." Eric stated from behind.

I spun around and raised an eyebrow at him. "The_ state_ he was in? Please, don't tell me you're taking his side! He cheated on me and used me! How could you have any sympathy for him?" I asked.

"And how could _you_ still love him? When you left to go to New York, he was devastated. He wanted you back. He wanted to explain to you that everything he did was not his fault. The King of Mississippi kidnapped him, as you know, but his maker, Lorena, was making him do everything else. He had gone without blood for at least three weeks before we got to him. In my opinion, you overreacted without hearing everything and as much as I hate telling you all this, I know I must because as much as I care for you, I would never wish to see you in pain." Eric said.

I felt the tears coming to my eyes as I stared a hole down into the floor. "Get out." I said quietly.

"Sookie, you cannot keep trying to deny what you know is the truth!" he replied, his voice rising steadily.

"As if you understand! All you vampires are the same: always lying and cheating just to get what you want. Tell me, Eric, when did you ever love someone so much that you would go to the ends of the Earth for them, just to find out that they had been playing you the whole time?" I yelled.

Eric froze and his every ting about suddenly seemed cold and unrelenting. "I am nothing like Bill."

My eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Oh, really? So you have _never_ lied to me about _anything ever_? Just get out, Eric, and don't come back anymore. I don't want to see you or Bill, or any other vampire ever because I am _tired_ of getting sucked into all your shit!"

"You're tired, Sookie, and when you wake up in the morning, you'll realize I'm right." Eric said, his voice back to its normal level. I could tell he was trying to suppress his growing anger.

"No, I won't! I'll realize that I'm tired of everything involving vampires, that I hate every single one of you, and that I'll be happy and content knowing that I have no desire to ever see or speak to any of you again! Get out!" I screeched.

Eric sighed and began walking out of my house. I locked the front door, making sure he was gone, before I locked all the other doors in the house and the windows. I walked to my bedroom and fell on my bed, crying. I knew after Eric left that I hadn't meant what I'd said to him. I cried myself to sleep and called in sick at the hospital the next morning.

Eric had been right. I couldn't believe I had actually told him I'd never wanted to see him again and I hated him. I had hated to admit it, but as much of an asshole he could be sometimes, Eric cared.

I'd slept in until about 9 a.m. and I woke up feeling refreshed. The first thing I did was clean my house top to bottom before weeding the garden beds and cutting the grass around the house. I planted some lavender and hydrangeas that Teresa had given me before I left New York and decided to take a break. It was almost 3 in the afternoon. I settled down in my living room to watch TV for a few hours.

I was about to go take a shower when my house phone rang.

"Casey Stackhouse." I said absently.

"Sookie? I need your help." A slow deliberate voice said.

Bill Compton. "Jesus, Bill, what do you want? You've already proved you can make a living shit out of my life. What else do you want?" I said frigidly.

I heard him sigh. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't trust you with everything in me, Sookie. Can David stay with you for a few days? Rachel has been called away back to Memphis. Her mother is sick at the present time. I am bringing her there tonight and she will be there for a few days. As I cannot completely abandon my duties as a sheriff, I will be back in four days." He said.

"Oh, so you just expect me to take him in because you trust me? Look, Bill, I told Eric and I'll tell you, too: I want absolutely _nothing_ to do with you or him or any other vampires for that matter, alright. Now, I'll let him stay here for the week but after this, I never want to speak to you again. Ever." I said slowly and coldly.

"That is perfectly fine with me, Sookie. I appreciate it more than you know."

"Does _Rachel_ appreciate it?" I asked, spitting out her name like it was a disease. And, hey, the way that girl was, it probably was.

"Sookie, she—"

"Just forget it. Bring him over. Where does he go to school?" I asked.

"Carrow Elementary, here in Bon Temps."

"Bedtime?"

"8:30 p.m. Usually, he likes when Rachel or I read stories to him before that."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't care about what he or Rachel did. I grabbed a pen and paper as I wrote down everything I had to know about David: his allergies, food that he liked. food he hated, cartoons he watched, etc. By the time Bill had finished, my hand was aching.

"Alright, give me about 40 minutes and you can bring him over then. But, I am not doing this for you and I sure as hell am _not_ doing this for _Rachel_, understood?" I said.

I knew if Bill were in front of me, he would've nodded.

"After this week, I want you out of my life completely." I said before hanging up.

I went upstairs to go take a shower before I busied myself making sure everything was clean and ready for David. I dug up some old stories I used to read as a child and cooked some spaghetti, which Bill had stated that David liked. Before I knew it, it was 6:45 p.m. and I heard a knock at my door. Sighing, I looked down at what I was wearing (a white tank top and black yoga pants) before I walked to the door and opened it.

David was the first thing I saw. "Hi, miss!" he said in his absolutely adorable high-pitched voice. His huge green eyes stared up at me and he smiled a partially toothless smile.

"Well, hi there, David. How are you?" I asked as I picked him up. He giggled and hugged me.

"I'm doing better, miss. My mommy picked me up from the doctor's today!" he said.

I smiled and walked into the house with him. I knew Bill was following behind me but I chose not to acknowledge him at the present time.

"Are you hungry, David? I made some spaghetti for you." I said as I sat him down at the kitchen table.

"Really?" he asked enthusiastically. I nodded and took out a small bowl, putting a spoonful of spaghetti inside before setting it down on the table.

He stared up at me for a long while before shaking his head insistently. I glanced up and saw Bill standing in the doorway, watching us. I looked back down at David.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I want more." He said. I laughed and walked back to the stove, putting another spoonful in the bowl.

"More." He said.

I put another spoonful in and he took it this time. I laughed as I watched him use both his hands to twirl his fork in the spaghetti.

"You let me know if you want anymore, alright?" I said before I walked into the living room. Bill followed me as I walked to the window.

"Thank you." I heard him say.

"Whatever, Bill." I said with a sigh.

"Sookie, can't we just—"

"Be friends? No, I don't think so, Bill. _You_ try being friends with the person you loved who cheated on you and used you and tell me how _you_ feel afterward." I said, cutting him off.

"If you had took the time to listen—"

"Look, Eric already told me what happened, alright? He told me everything. He told me the reason why he gave you sheriff in the first place was because of the 'position you were in at the time'. So, spare me your excuses." I said, cutting him off yet again.

"Just listen to me, Sookie. Please." He pleaded.

"Why should I? You're _engaged_ now. Anything you have to say will be of little or no consequence now." I said.

"Please, just listen to me." He pleaded again.

I sighed. He knew what he did to me, even still. He knew he could make me listen to him if he wanted to, vampire or not.

"Fine." I said, looking him in his eyes.

"First, you have to know that I loved you truly and I still do. The Queen told me that I was to seek you out, but when you saved me that first night, in the parking lot, I forgot completely of what she told me, and I fell in love with you."

I wiped the tears from my eyes and sighed. I was about to speak but Bill held his hand up for me to let him finish.

"After that night, I knew I loved you and not even the queen could get in the way of that. And about me cheating on you with my maker, Lorena, I was thinking of you the entire time. I had no choice with her, Sookie. She was my maker. Whatever she told me to do, I had to do it, whether I wanted to or not. Thinking about you was all that kept me going through that dark time and when you walked away from me, I didn't know what else to do," he said.

"When I heard the queen was going out of town to Nevada, I called the king, who used to have a human girl he loved by the name of Hadley Stackhouse, your cousin. When he heard the Queen had her and would not give her back to him, he decided to kill her. The magister never punished him because, well, no vampire liked Sophie-Anne and Eric took up as King. I had hoped that when the Queen was gone, you would come back, but you didn't and I knew that if I loved you, I would have to move on and let you be happy with someone else."

The tears were coming full force now and my vision was becoming blurry. I stared absently at the things in my living room before I looked back at Bill.

"What do you want me to say, Bill? What do you want me to do? I have a life for myself now. I'm not the stupid naïve girl you were with five years ago. I loved you and I still do, I will admit that. But you're engaged now and David, he's going to be your stepson soon. What do you want me to do?" I asked, trying to wipe the tears away, but I couldn't.

Bill came closer to me, grasping my wrists as I tried to wipe my tears away again. "Just be with me, Sookie. Love me. I will find a way for us to be together. I love you and that is never going to change, do you understand me? I have always loved you. We will find a way."

_**A/N: Wow. I didn't even expect this. I'm so surprised at what this story has taken on. What do you think?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHEAD (minor). Last chapter had a mind of its own…Let's see how this one turns out… **_

_**Also, I would recommend listening to 9 Crimes by Damien Rice for the first half of the chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own True Blood…Isn't that kind of obvious?**_

"Bill, I can't. I really can't. I made a promise to myself to cut you and Eric out of my life because I need to be able to live without you. I'm sorry. You're going to have to take David with you. Besides, I just don't feel right watching Rachel's child." I said.

Bill didn't say anything. He looked defeated. The look on his face told me he was scrambling. He had to do something.

He let go of my wrists and put both hands on either side of my face before kissing me softly and passionately. I wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted but I knew it had to end. His fiancée's son was here! I broke away, trying to catch my breath still. I grasped his wrists this time.

"Bill, stop. Please." I said.

Bill slowly backed away from me and walked back to the kitchen. I followed him cautiously. He was sitting at the table with David, explaining that they would have to leave now. David's face showed sadness.

"We're going to have to go visit your grandmother up in Memphis. She hasn't seen you in a long time." Bill said.

I could tell he was trying to refrain from glamouring him but that was beginning to become hard to do as I could sense a temper tantrum about to ensue from David.

"Hey, honey, did you finish your food?" I asked, making my presence known.

David looked up at me with hope in his eyes. "Yes. I made a happy plate. All clean. Can I stay here? Please? Pleeeeeeeease?" he asked. I suddenly felt guilty and I folded. I had a weakness for little kids with putting lips and huge eyes.

I considered the little boy thoughtfully before answering. "Sure. You just go get your pajamas out of your bag and we'll go get you a nice warm bath. You like baths don't you?" I said.

David nodded. "Mhm." He said, giggling, before he ran to the living room, where he'd dropped his bag earlier.

Bill stood up from the table. "What are you doing? I thought you said you didn't want to keep him here." He said.

"Yeah, well, I have a weakness for cute little kids. It's my fatal flaw, actually." I said as I pushed the chairs in and began washing out David's bowl and spoon.

"Thank you, again."

"Mhm. Shouldn't you be leaving now?" I asked.

Bill nodded. "Right. And you have my number—"

"In case something happens. I know. Go." I said. When I turned around, Bill was gone. David was running back into the kitchen now, holding some Spiderman pajamas and a toy boat in his hand.

"I'm ready." He said.

I smiled and we walked upstairs to the bathroom. I ran him some warm bathwater and filled it with bubbles, throwing his toy boat in the water.

David got in the water and played around with his toy boat, splashing me in the process. It was the first time I was happy in a long time.

As I lay in bed that night, I basked in the silence that filled my home. I couldn't sleep, though I knew that was what I should be doing, even if I didn't have to go to work until 8:45 tomorrow morning. It would give me at least a half hour more to sleep in and I still had to get David to school.

I looked over at my clock and saw that it was 10:03 p.m. It was too early for me to be asleep yet, but I didn't mind. I heard a noise near my closet and I sat up sucking in all my breath. I reached under my pillow for my pistol when a voice stopped me.

"Don't. It's just me." Bill. Again.

I sighed, putting the gun back in its place. "You and Eric need to learn how to call before you visit. And aren't you supposed to be taking Rachel to Memphis?" I asked.

I could see Bill's figure moving across the room before he settled on the edge of my bed.

"She took a plane."

"Right. So, you thought it was alright for you to chill in my closet after you allegedly 'left' until I came up here. That's also cool." I said sarcastically. I heard the low rumble of Bill's laugh and a chill crept up my spine.

"Well, I had to speak with you again somehow. About what I said earlier, Sookie—"

"Bill, what do you want me to say? You love me, I love you. Fine. I get it. But I refuse to be with you again until you are no longer with Rachel and I can trust you. You're engaged now. You're either going to be with me or her, but you can't have us both. And until you make that decision, I am cutting you out of my life. Get out." I said.

"Sookie, what I meant was—"

"I am resending your invitation, if you didn't get what I meant the first time." I said quietly. Suddenly, I saw Bill's figure walking backward until I no longer heard a single noise in the house. I knew he was gone. Really gone.

I sighed and set my alarm before going to sleep.

"Have a good day, sweetie." I said to David as I hugged him and watched him run to his teacher. I smiled and waved at him before I got back in my car and started driving to Shreveport. Being alone now gave me more time to think.

I still loved Bill, I knew that. But I wasn't ready to be with him again, or anyone. I was afraid of getting hurt again. But, Bill had been my first love and there was nothing else in the world like that. I wanted to talk to Eric, oddly enough. But I had to stick to my word.

I had to cut vampires out of my life and try to live without them. I was beginning to doubt my decision in returning to Bon Temps again. I wondered if I had come back earlier, or not left at all, would things have changed. I sighed as I pulled into the hospital parking lot.

I got out and walked to the elevator in the parking garage, going up to the fifth floor.

"Morning, Sheila." I said, smiling at the head nurse.

"Same to you, Casey. You feeling better from yesterday?" she asked, handing me a Frappacino.

I nodded. "Somewhat. Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

"Not a problem. Your charts are in your office. Also, you have a call on line 2." Sheila said. I thanked her and walked to my office.

Sure enough, the light on line 2 was blinking. I pressed it and picked up the phone.

"Dr. Casey Stackhouse." I said into the phone.

"Hello, Sookie." A familiar old voice said.

"Alcide?" I said in disbelief. I hadn't talked to him in years. He was the one who'd helped me find Bill in the first place. As far as I knew, Alcide was a Were whose father had been running for leader of the Pack. I hadn't stuck around in Louisiana to see the results.

"Yeah, it's me. Sam told me you'd just gotten back in town. For good. And I wanted to know if you would like to come to New Orleans with me this weekend." He said.

I found myself smiling. "That sounds wonderful, Alcide. I'm working all week and I have to babysit all week for someone but I should be able to take the weekend off. What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well," he said. I could tell he was extremely nervous. "I wanted to take you to New Orleans for the weekend. I heard there're a lot of good spots there and I wanted to show you the French Quarter and the weather will be wonderful Sunday. We could go to church and walk through City Park. " Alcide said, laughing easily.

I smiled again. "That sounds wonderful. What should I wear? What time are we leaving?"

Alcide laughed slightly again. "Just wear something comfortable and pack some clothes for the weekend. What time do you leave work Friday?" he asked.

"I could leave around 8p.m." I replied.

"I could just pick you up from work then."

"Great. I'll call my friend Sam and he can come get my car." I said.

"Wonderful. I guess I'll just see you then." Alcide replied. I could almost hear the smile in his voice.

"Right."

The silence on the phone was awkward after that. Then, he spoke again. "So, I hear you're a doctor now. How do you like it?"

I sighed. "It's alright. It has its moments, but it wouldn't be special to me if it didn't."

"Well, I'm glad you have a job you love now, Sookie. Or is it Casey now?" he asked.

I smiled, letting out a soft laugh. "For you, it's Sookie. For the rest of the world, it's Casey." I said.

We hung up soon after and I prepped for my first appointment with a young girl, Tyree-Anne Lloyd.

I picked up David from school and asked him about his day. He told me all about the pictures he drew in class, what he and his friends played during recess, the weird apple he found at lunch.

He sure did talk a lot for a kid, but I didn't know a single kid his age that didn't. David smiled a lot which intern caused me to smile. We got home and had dinner, which consisted of leftover spaghetti, before settling down to watch TV for a few hours.

Apparently, David was a big fan of CSI. That surprised me, but obviously I couldn't stop him from watching it. You can't censor someone to what they've already seen. Trying to make David stop watching CSI would be like trying to sell water to a well, fire to hell.

He took his bath, though this time he was quick. I could tell straight off that he was tired. David was supposed to be in bed by 8:30 and he was knocked out at 7:57. I wasn't surprised, though pleasantly shocked.

My mind went back to Bill and the date I had with Alcide this weekend. I was excited to be going to New Orleans, as I had never been there, but the thought that I might run into Eric down there plagued me.

When it came to Eric, he was going to try to talk to me no matter how much I told him I hated him or that I didn't need him. I wanted to tell Alcide, maybe warn him somehow.

But I didn't want to ruin what he and I had going, if there was anything there. If we ran into Eric, we ran into Eric and I would just have to deal with it when the time came.

It started raining horribly that night. Every few minutes, thunder and lightning was heard. As a child, I had always been scared of thunder, but now that I had no one who could hold me in the middle of the night and tell me that everything was okay, to just go back to sleep, I felt more alone than ever.

Just then I heard a small soft knock on my bedroom door. I got out of my bed, and pulled my satin night robe around me. I opened the door and saw David's small figure standing there, staring up at me with huge green eyes filled with fear. I bent down to his level.

"Are you afraid of thunder, David?" I asked softly.

David nodded, gripping his stuffed monkey tightly.

I gave him a small smile. "Well, that's alright, honey. I'm scared of thunder, too. Come on. You can stay with me tonight." I said, taking hold of his tiny hand and leading him into my room. I closed my bedroom door and climbed back into my bed, David climbing in on the other side.

He snuggled up close to me and wrapped his arms around me. To say I was taken by surprise would be a complete understatement. Thunder cracked loud overhead again and David held me tighter.

"I am scared of thunder, Miss. I have nightmares about it." He said.

I sighed and pulled him up to my eyelevel, so that the top half of his body was resting on my pillows.

"You know, I used to be like that, too. But you what? My Gran would hold me, just like I'm holding you, mind, and she would sing a song to me." I said.

"How did it go?" David asked in a small voice.

I sighed quietly before singing the old familiar song with soft remembrance.

"When the rain falls, honey, down in Savannah, don't you wanna make a brand new day? When the thunder starts rumblin and the train starts comin, will you wanna make a brand new day? Think of all the beauty here that you can't see cause there's always fear. But look, my honey, it's a brand new day. A brand new light. A brand new way." I sang, my voice going in and out as I tried to keep quiet.

"Can you sing it again?" David asked.

I sang the song to him again and when I paused after the third time, he was already asleep. Sighing happily, I pulled the blankets up to our shoulders and went to sleep.

_**A/N: Okay, so for the record, Alcide's name is spelled (Al-cee) in the books but it just sounds horrifying to me that way, so I tend to call him (Al-Kide). He is a character that comes into play in the 3**__**rd**__** books and will be introduced in about the 3**__**rd**__** season….what did you think? What do you want to see next? Review and subscribe!! **_

_**Also, huge thanks to one of my reviewers Piper. I cant remember the four numbers in your username but you are awesome….**_

_**Who do you want to see in next chapter?**_

_**Alcide, Eric, Bill, or all three?**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: I really love that everyone is giving me great reviews on this story (.. and piper1715) But I also want to know what you guys think I should improve on, too. By the way, nothing is really going to happen with Eric and Sookie. **_

_**There's going to be a point where Eric realizes he doesn't love Sookie as much as he thinks he does. They're going to end up friends. Also, I need something really drastic to happen later in the story. Any ideas? Enjoy!**_

_**The Dutch Courage by Spill Canvas is recommended for this chapter.**_

I was excited for my date with Alcide. Instead of having someone come pick up my car from work, I decided to just take off Friday and get ready for the weekend.

The storms were over by Tuesday afternoon, for which I was grateful. I hadn't seen or heard from Bill or Eric at all, something which I was also happy about. My hours at the hospital seemed to blend together and it was only when I left work that real life set in.

David was just as talkative as ever about school. I could practically feel myself growing closer to him and by Wednesday night, I was starting to get sad. I'd just fed David and he had already taken a bath when I heard a knock at my door. I pulled my salmon pink satin night robe around me and went to answer the door. Standing there was Rachel.

"I'm here to get David." She said coolly. She was attempting to be civil.

"Well, he's just gone to sleep. If you want, you could pick him up tomorrow morning and—"

"No. I'm picking him up now." Rachel said stonily. I frowned at her slightly, trying my hardest to keep my composure.

"Alright. Well, I'll go get him." I said tightly before I walked back inside to the stairs.

I had just barely gotten there when I heard a snarling noise from behind me. I spun around and no longer saw Rachel standing there, but a large lean grey wolf with a black streak down its head. It was growling, hissing, and spitting at me. I knew it was Rachel. I froze. I knew I had to do something.

I raced up the stairs quickly to my room, where I had allowed David to sleep that night and closed the door behind me, running to David.

"Honey, wake up. Wake up, David. Come on." I said, shaking him awake quickly. He sat up groggily.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's no time, dear." I said as I pulled him to the closet and closed that door behind me.

I pulled up the loose floorboards and found the place Bill would sleep when we were still together. I pushed David in and went in behind him. As I went down, I moved things around the area so it would look normal and not out of place, before closing the loose floorboards over our heads.

I could hear Rachel the wolf clawing with her huge paws on the closet door, knowing she couldn't get in. At least, not yet, anyway. I took out my Blackberry, which I had lucky snatched from the nightstand.

I texted two people whom I really had not wanted to ask for help from, explaining the situation to them, but I knew I had to. Bill and Eric. I looked down at David who looked afraid.

"Now, David, listen to me. I want you to stay down here and do not make any noise whatsoever, understand?" I whispered.

David nodded fiercely.

"Good. I'll be right back, sweetie." I said before lifting the floorboards slowly and rising from the space, before pulling the floorboards back down. I reached up to the top shelf of my closet, where a small shoe box resided, and took the box down.

Inside was a .40. I took the steel object out and wrapped one hand around it, using the other hand to grasp the doorknob. Rachel's growls and hisses were heard from the outside of the closet. She was right by the door.

I threw it open quickly and with force. Rachel slid backward in surprise, howling because the door had hit her head. She looked up at me; her eyes were narrowed in slits and her teeth bared, before lunging toward me.

I pulled my gun from my side and aimed straight at her before shooting. Rachel froze, mid-lunge, and fell to the floor, whimpering. I walked toward her and reached out slowly. But at that moment, her head twisted around and she snarled at me before snapping at my hand. Luckily, I had pulled it away in time.

Before I could even make my next move, Rachel jumped on me, only she was no longer a wolf. She wrapped her hands around my neck and squeezed hard. I was struggling with breath and I could see spots edging my vision. She let go, pulled back her arm and slapped me senseless.

"You think you can take my son and my boyfriend?" she taunted before smacking me hard again, only this time it hurt more. Her hand turned into a paw and she brought it down hard on my legs. I let out a loud yell of agony and pain. It felt like my leg was on fire.

Just then, I heard banging downstairs on the front door.

"Sookie, we have to come in. Invite us in." Bill's voice said.

I backed up as quickly as I could from Rachel. "You can come in! You can come in!"

Rachel growled and lunged at me. She looked completely inhuman, wrong. Even when I had first laid eyes on her on that first night, she hadn't looked anything like this.

The door to my bedroom flew open suddenly and three people ran in. Rachel was still hitting me, though I wasn't sure where. Suddenly, I felt her weight shift off me and I knew someone had pulled her away. I opened my eyes (I had closed my eyes when she hit me) and saw Eric had her in a death grip. Bill and Alcide were standing over me, trying to lift me up. I then felt myself being placed on my bed.

"David. Go get David." I said.

"Where is he?" Bill asked.

"Closet." I replied. Bill was suddenly gone from my side and was replaced with Alcide.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I don't even know right now. I hope I feel better in time for the weekend. That would suck if I ended up going to New Orleans bummed out." I replied.

"Sookie, I won't go to New Orleans without you this weekend and if you aren't feeling better by then, which I have full confidence in, we can just stay here and…I don't know, watch movies or something." He said comfortingly. I smiled, despite the aches all over my body.

"You're too sweet." I said.

"That's lovely, really. But what do you plan on doing about _her_?" Eric's cool voice interrupted.

Alcide and I averted our attention to Rachel, who was still struggling in Eric's death grip. I looked from her to Eric to Alcide to the floor and back to Eric.

"She's David's mother. We can't—"

"Too late." Eric said lazily before he snapped Rachel's neck. A resounding crack was heard in the air and all Rachel's movement stopped.

"Eric!" I yelled, trying to get up from the bed. "She had a child!"

Eric shrugged. "She obviously wasn't worried much about that child, considering she was trying to kill you both. The boy has other relatives, if I am not mistaken." Eric said, gazing disdainfully upon Rachel's now lifeless body.

I buried my face in my hand and growled. "Jesus, Eric, couldn't you have waited? What is that little boy going to do now?"

Eric sighed. "I do apologize, then, Sookie. I'll just take my leave now." He said, smiling quickly before he was gone in a flash. I rolled my eyes and groaned. Everything had now gotten so much more complicated.

Bill returned from the closet and I gathered it had probably taken a while to find David as I had told him to be death silent.

"I found him." Bill said.

David was crying. His eyes traveled to his mother's body, which wasn't moving, to me. He completely ignored his mother and ran to me, hugging me tightly as he cried into my silk nightgown. I was completely shocked at this and hugged him back awkwardly.

Alcide sat next to me and Bill leaned against the wall, observing us quietly. "I'm scared, mommy." David said in between sobs.

My eyes widened and I pulled away from David, staring him in the eyes. Then, I understood. He thought I was his mother. I looked back down at Rachel's dead body and back at him before setting David down on the bed. I slowly walked to Rachel's dead body.

I bent down and held her head in my lap. I examined her face closely and felt myself get sick. She looked so much like me it wasn't even funny. She looked exactly like me but taller and with blonder hair. I knew why David had run to me and had barely recognized his own mother. I looked so much like her, he thought I was her. I felt tears come to my eyes as a memory hit me like a freight train.

"_Sookie, aren't you gonna come to the party with us?" a small voice asked. The girl looked to be about 5 years old to the other's 4. _

"_No, I don't wanna. I'm gonna stay here with Gran. She's makin' apple pie today and she said I can help." The younger girl said._

"_But, Sookie, I won't have no one to play with! Please?" the other girl begged._

"_No!" Sookie said before running down the hall and to the kitchen._

_The older girl pouted before running out of the house to the black sedan that was parked outside. Sookie had never seen that car in her life and didn't trust it one bit. Somehow, nobody else believed her when she said she saw this truck. _

_She never saw her sister again and somehow, all memories of her had seemingly melted away from her brain. Until now._

I suddenly snapped out of the memory and fell across Rachel, sobbing. "She was my sister." I whispered as I cried. I felt someone gently lifting me off her.

It was Alcide. I looked around the room and noticed that Bill and David were no longer there. I had hoped he had taken him downstairs so he wouldn't see.

"It's alright, Sookie. You didn't know. It's alright." Alcide said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to him. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, crying into his shirt, which was probably ruined now.

Finally, when I felt like everything in me was completely drained, I sat up and noticed that Alcide was there, smiling at me slightly. I sat up farther and wiped my eyes. "You can leave now, if you want. You've been here long enough." I said, sniffling.

"I'm not goin' anywhere unless you want me to, Sookie." Alcide replied. I smiled, despite the sadness and hugged him tightly. When I broke away, I looked at Rachel's body.

"Please, just get rid of her." I said before I got up and walked to the bathroom.

I ran the shower as hot as possible and the bathroom quickly filled with steam. I stayed in the shower long past when I washed myself, but I felt like no matter how much I washed, I just felt filthy. I couldn't explain why.

Maybe it was because I felt like I was the reason for Rachel's death, even though it was entirely Eric's fault. And I could not think why I hadn't felt anything until David called me 'mommy'. I knew I had to get out.

When I left the bathroom, I put on some red silk shorts and a white tank top. Alcide had stepped out of the room for the time being. Rachel's body was no longer in the room and I no longer saw Alcide's car outside.

I walked to my nightstand and pulled out the very bottom drawer, lifting the panel and taking out a rather large bottle of Vodka. I didn't even have the strength to get a cup. I took the top off the bottle and took a long swig from it, letting the hot clear liquid trail down my throat. I winced very slightly as it went down but knew that the more I drank, the less it would burn. I fell back on my bed with the bottle in my hand, curling up into a ball.

What was wrong with me? I didn't even know anymore. Had Bill known what Rachel was? Had it just happened to her? Why did I care? Why didn't I? Why was I so pissed at Eric and Bill for existing at the moment? I hated those two so much it wasn't even a laughing matter, but they had saved me countless times. And Alcide.

Alcide Herveaux was a sweetheart. He didn't deserve someone like me who was always stuck in other people's shit. He deserved someone normal, someone who hadn't numbed the voices in her head by drinking every now and then, someone who didn't have a past with a vampire, someone who a certain vampire was infatuated with.

But Alcide had stayed with me where Eric had not. Now that I thought about Bill and Eric, I wondered where Bill was. I wondered where David was. I wondered if he was scared. I wondered if he knew what was going on.

Another swig.

Thinking was becoming a very tasking thing and I had a headache riding up the back of my skull. I reached above my head to my other nightstand and pressed play on my iPod, which sat in its dock. The sound of Dutch Courage by a group called Spill Canvas filled my room.

Another swig.

My mind wandered to Tara and Sam and Jason. All three had changed. Tara and Sam, who seemed like they would be perpetually unhappy for the rest of their existences had somehow finally found happiness in each other. Jason had contracted brain cancer somehow and I still couldn't wrap my mind around that. He was so strong, too strong to have gotten cancer. My head fell down on the bed as I sighed. I fucking hated life.

Another swig.

I held up the bottle to see how much I had left and saw it was a lot. I had a lot to get me through the night. My first week back was not turning out to be a good one. I had really only been to work for three days and I knew Alcide would tell me to take off and go back Monday but it was just Wednesday. I felt like my degree was just a piece of wasted paper. Why had Dr. Cortez given me that degree at graduation? It had to have been a mistake. I sure as hell didn't deserve it.

Another swig.

The bottle was gone from my hands now. I didn't have to look up to know who it was. I heard the sound of wood meeting glass and knew that he had set the bottle down on the nightstand. I felt the bed dent in next to me and I felt an arm wrap around my waist protectively.

I turned and faced the one who had just probably done me a favor, though I didn't much appreciate him taking my drink from me.

"What's gotten into me?" I whispered, facing him.

I was surprised he hadn't recoiled away from me. I knew my breath smelled like Vodka. Not very attractive at all.

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He didn't have the answer and neither did I. But we were both content there, not knowing the answers.

"I buried her out near Vegan. No one'll go lookin' for her there." Alcide said.

I nodded and snuggled closer to him, burying my face in his shirt again. "You know, when we were lookin' for Bill, I felt somethin'…with you…but the timing then was all wrong. It's always all wrong." I said.

"And what about the timing now?" Alcide asked, his deep and slightly raspy voice sending shivers down my spine.

"You cold?" he asked as he pulled a blanket across us. I didn't need it. I was warm just next to him but I didn't mind.

"Thanks." I mumbled to him.

A few minutes later I spoke again.

"Still wrong, Alcide, the timing. But there's a little bit of right in there, too," I said. "Sometimes, you have to fall for someone at the wrong time to be with them at the right time. And it's the right time to be with you, Alcide." I said.

Alcide didn't say anything for a while. I was afraid of his silence. Then, he spoke again. "It's the right time to be with you, too, Sookie."

I nodded. "I hope so. I really hope so."

_**A/N: Well, how did you like it? I was originally going to do something else in the beginning of the chapter but my hands guided me to write what I did. How do you like the last scene? By the way, I really hope you listened to Dutch Courage by Spill Canvas during that scene. It really goes with it.**_

_**So, what do you think should happen to David now that his mother is dead?**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Your reviews for last chapter were awesome. I really appreciate you guys. I was beginning to think my story wasn't that good but now…I am very very happy right now. I have a feeling this chapter will be a long one (I write all my author's notes at the beginning of every chapter). **_

_**By the way, Bill and Sookie's reunion will be slow moving. A lot has to happen for them to be together again and I hope you guys get that. They **_**will**_** be together again. Just not immediately. I changed Tara's kid name from Cassidy to Kassidy to match her twin Kendrick's letter of spelling.**_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't True Blood. Enjoy!**_

_**Eet by Regina Spektor for this chapter.**_

Alcide was gone when I woke up. To work, more than likely. I wasn't sure how long I'd lay there in my bed before I fell asleep again. When I woke up again, it was nearly dark outside. There was a voicemail on my house phone. I pressed the button and let it play. Alcide's voice filled the room.

"Hey, Sookie, I won't be back tonight. I had to take care of some things at work and with the Pack and all. I'll be back as soon as I can." He said before I didn't hear his voice anymore. I deleted the message and saw that I didn't have anymore on the machine.

I went to the bathroom to shower and got dressed in a blue t-shirt and some light green yoga pants. I sifted through one of my drawers and found a pair of black anklet socks. I put them on my feet and limped downstairs to the living room. Just then, my house phone rang. I limped over to the phone and picked it up.

"Casey Stackhouse speaking." I said.

I was starting to wonder if anyone here would ever call me by that name. I doubted it.

"Sookie, it's Bill. I was wondering if I could come over for a few minutes and speak with you about David. I need your help making a certain decision." Bill said on the other end of the phone.

"Sure," I said. "What is it?"

"I'd rather talk to you when we arrive there."

"Fine with me. Come on over." I said before hanging up.

I no longer had much resolve to fight with Bill anymore. I was tired, mentally and physically. I wasn't really sure if Alcide and I were really going out and I wasn't even sure what might happen to David.

I hadn't given much thought to it at all. I turned the TV to a Music Choice station titled Old R&B. I turned it up loud and busied myself making a quick dinner which consisted of Ramen noodles before I heard a knock on my door. I looked through the peephole and saw Bill there.

"Hey." I said, when I opened the door. Although, I wasn't really sure if he understood me since I had a mouthful of noodles in my mouth.

Bill stepped inside with a sleeping David in his arms. "Hello."

"He can sleep in my room." I said as I walked down the hallway to my room.

Bill pulled back the covers and lay David down on the bed before we exited out the room. I got a tall glass of iced tea from the kitchen before I rejoined Bill in the living room. I limped to the sofa and sat down. At this point, a song called Be Ever Wonderful by Earth, Wind, and Fire was playing loudly from the TV.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"I'm keeping David." Bill answered.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Sookie, he's your nephew. I will not let him be taken by the state and put in foster care when he has family right here. Surely, you—"

"Did I say I didn't approve? He means just as much to me as he does to you. I'll take care of him during the day and you can take care of him at night while I work at the hospital. I'll have to change my shift schedule around. I still have to get a brace for my leg." I said.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"She did something to it but I'm letting it heal by itself."

"I am sorry about that."

"Forget about it. And don't forget he takes his epilepsy medicine twice a day: once when he wakes up and once right before he goes to sleep."

"Of course."

Now, where is he going to sleep?" I asked.

"He seems to like it here." Bill replied.

"Well, I would surely think so, Bill. _Your_ house probably scares the poor boy half to death! How many times did I tell you to fix those floors and the walls and the paint? You need to fix that house so it doesn't look like the Haunted Mansion anymore."

Bill laughed. "Well, yes, I do suppose you might be right."

A silence settled in between us. I hummed along to the song, which was still playing, which turned to low singing. I took a long sip of iced tea before closing my eyes. Even with a messed up leg, I still felt peaceful. I knew Bill was looking at me.

I opened my eyes and stared back at him. "What?"

Bill laughed softly and shook his head. "Nothing. I just…well, I miss when things used to be…normal."

I nodded slowly and exhaled. "I know what you mean. Everything has changed so much. Sam and Tara are married now with their second and third kid on the way. Jason has brain cancer. Things are just so…different. Sometimes I wish I never left. Sometimes…I wonder if anything would've changed if I'd just stayed here."

Another silence came between us and I sipped my iced tea a few more times. Bill spoke again.

"You know, Sookie, I want to apologize again for what happened between us, but I can't, not anymore. I am tired of begging your forgiveness if you don't wish to give it to me. I shouldn't have to apologize time and time again when you know exactly how I feel about you." He said.

I sat up and stared him deep in the eyes. I wanted to say something. I wanted to yell at him and tell him that everything was his fault. But even I knew that wasn't fair. So I sat back and shrugged.

"Okay. I'll forgive you one day, you know. I just don't know when. It's hard to tell with these things. But even you know I can't hate you forever, Bill." I said casually, as if I didn't know about the weather tomorrow.

The song changed to Joy and Pain by Frankie Beverly and Maze. I hummed to the beat and moved my body slightly to the music before I started singing what little I knew of the song.

"Over and over, you can be sure there will be sorrow but you will endure. Where there's a flower, there's the sun and the rain. They're both one in the same." I sang as I swished my iced tea around in my glass. I closed my eyes as I sang, feeling admittedly carefree at the moment.

When the song finished, I opened my eyes and smiled at Bill. "I don't know why I feel this way right now. It's like I want to hate you so much but I can't. I want to tell you that everything that's happened is completely and utterly all your fault, but I can't. I just…everything…I've finally accepted everything somehow." I said.

Bill stared at me long and hard before he replied. "You're too good of a person, Sookie, I hope you know that."

I smiled. "You're not the first person to tell me that."

Bill smiled and looked at the TV. "You like R&B?" he asked.

I laughed lightly. "Now, I do. My friend Teresa back in New York got me into it. She got me into a lot of things. R&B, Old School Rap, Ramen noodles, Harry Potter, and oddly enough, knitting."

"You talk about her a lot, you know." Bill said.

"I bet I do. She was the first person I ever talked to New York. We shared an apartment and had all the same classes all through med school. She's quite a character. I'm pretty sure you'd love her if you met her."

"What's she like?" he asked.

"Real random. Says whatever comes to her mind. Funny. She can always cheer me up when no one else can. And she loves life. She's part Jamaican and part Venezuelan and will never let anyone forget it," I said with a laugh. "She likes introducing me to new stuff. You know, she actually got me to smoke weed one weekend about three years ago. That was the only time I ever did it though."

Bill gasped. "You? You smoked?"

"Just that one time! It was pretty funny. You should've seen me in our apartment. I was twirling around and dancing like I didn't have a lick of common sense in my body. Gran would've tossed around in her grave if she's seen me."

Bill laughed the same time I did. He watched me as she walked over to the DVD rack and took down a case.

"Ever seen this?" I asked, holding up the case.

"_Dark Knight_? No, I cannot say that I have."

I pointed to the case. "It changes you." I said before putting the DVD in the DVD player. I made some popcorn and came back in the living room, cutting off all the lights. I pulled a blanket over my legs as I sat back and turned up the volume on the TV.

We were at the part of the movie, near the end, when the Joker was hanging upside down outside of the building, when my house phone.

"Bill, could you get that for me?" I asked. He got the phone and answered it. He put the phone on his shoulder.

"Tara's gone into labor." He said.

I threw the blanket off of me. "What? Oh, my God! Tell Sam I'm on my way." I said as I limped to my bedroom and slid my feet into my white fuzzy slippers. I pulled on a black track jacket and woke David up.

"Come on, honey. We have to go to the hospital." I said as I picked him up and carried him out to the living room. Bill took him outside to the car. I grabbed the throw from the sofa and locked the front door before limping out to Bill's car. I got in on the passenger side and passed the throw to Bill who covered the already sleeping David before getting in on the driver's side.

"Hey, honey. How are you feeling?" I asked sympathetically.

Tara groaned and wiped at the sweat beaded on her forehead. "Horrible. These contractions are a _bitch_ and I'm still only two centimeters dilated." She said.

I cold hear the agony in her voice. I gripped her hand and looked at Sam, who was near Tara on the other side of the bed, holding her left hand and rubbing comforting circles on it.

"I know this has to suck, hon, but think how much better you're gonna feel when you see Kendrick and Kassidy get here. Speaking of, where's Candace?" I asked.

Sam shrugged. "Lafayette was watchin' her."

Just then, Lafayette burst into the hospital room with a flask in his hand. "Baby girl, I got somethin' that'll make them pains go away real quick." He said.

"Lafayette, she can't drink that! And where is Candace?" I asked.

"She wit Bill and that lil boy in the waitin' room." Lafayette said quickly.

"Stop talkin' and give me that." Tara said, reaching for the flask. Just then a sharp contraction hit and her and she yelled out in agony. "Holy shit!"

"It's alright, Tara. Everything'll be over soon. It's alright." I said to her soothingly. She looked at me and nodded. We went through about four and a half more hours of this before the doctor checked her and stated that she was fully dilated and ready to go.

"Oh, shit." She said fearfully as another contraction hit. She squeezed mine and Sam's hands tightly as the doctor told her she would have to push on the next contraction.

She squeezed my hand so tight as she pushed that I thought it might fall off, but none of that mattered to me. Tears ran down her face as she pushed and pushed. A flare of pain shot up my leg and I was reminded of how my leg was still messed up. But I had to ignore that for the moment.

Just then, the sound of a wailing baby being brought into the world filled the room and I looked at Tara who smiled through her sweat and tears. Sam, Lafayette, and I all had tears in our eyes as the doctor wiped the first baby off and handed it to a nurse before preparing to push out the other baby.

Tara squeezed my hand harder as she pushed again, more tears and sweat on her face. Sam and I both cried with her as we told her to push, that it was almost over. Soon, the sound of another wailing baby filled the room. Tara's head fell back on the damp pillow as more tears slid down her face. I grabbed the wet towel from the table near the bed and wiped her face for her.

"You did it, Tara, you did it." I said, smiling down at her. She nodded as Sam kissed her on her forehead.

The doctor, whose name I now knew as Dr. Ealey, handed both the babies to Tara. "Time of birth for the boy, 3:17 a.m. Time of birth for the girl, 3:25 a.m." he stated, smiling happily at Tara and Sam. Sometime during this, Lafayette had left the room to go back in the waiting room.

Later, when Tara was sleeping and only Sam was still awake in the hospital room, I walked in and sat down in the other chair near the window of the room.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

"She's doing good for her situation. The babies' health is good, but they're saying it looks like Kassidy may have autism. They're not clear yet. They said we'll have to wait it out for a few years to make certain." Sam said.

"I'm sure she's fine, Sam." I replied.

We were both silent for a few minutes, the only sound heard being that of Tara's even breathing.

"Do you have middle names for them?" I asked.

"Yes. We wanted to have Kassidy's middle name be Adele, like your grandmother. She meant so much to Tara. And for Kendrick, well…" Sam trailed off.

I gave him a sharp look. "What? Tell me." I said briskly.

He sighed. "Fine. Well, she wanted to have Kendrick's middle name be…William."

I almost didn't get it at first but then, understanding dawned on me. "As in Bill?" I asked.

Sam nodded. "He did a lot for us, Sookie. And as much as I hate to admit it, we thought this would be a nice way to thank him."

I was still confused. "What do you mean? What did he do for you?" I asked.

Sam sighed again. "While you were gone, the bar almost went bankrupt and Bill…well, he found out somehow and paid the bank a whole lot of money. Next thing I know, their tellin' me I don't have to make another payment to them for the bar. And he paid for our wedding, too.

"We tried to tell him not to do it, but he did it anyway. He said something about it bein' his Christian duty or some kind of fooleywang of that nature. Either way, Bill Compton…well, it took me a real long time to realize he's a decent guy. You should forgive him, Sookie." Sam said.

My eyebrows shot up just barely. "Wow. Well, that certainly is reason to give Kendrick his name. Kenneth William and Kassidy Adele Merlotte." I said, testing out the names on my tongue. They were truly beautiful names.

We were driving back to my house. The ride was silent until a certain point. "You know they're naming them Kassidy Adele and Kendrick William." I said.

I noticed Bill's fingers twitch slightly at this. "They wanted to give Kendrick your name. They said you did a lot for them, Bill."

"I wouldn't call it that. I only helped them out when they needed it. That was all." Bill said modestly.

"I'm proud of you, Bill. I'm glad they had someone looking out for them when I wasn't here." I replied.

We were quiet for the rest of the ride. When we got back to my house, Bill left immediately after bringing David inside, stating that the sun would be rising soon. I bade him goodbye and walked inside. My leg still hurt and I was starting to wonder if it was broken or not.

I didn't dwell on it as I climbed into the bed in my room, next to David, who was fast asleep. I stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, thinking of the night's events. I thought about Bill, how I forgave him, the blissful peace that had settled over me earlier in the evening.

And suddenly, the world seemed that it might have been a few more inches close to righting itself again.

_**A/N: Well, how did you like it? Looks like Bill and Sookie have put the past behind them. What do you think should or is going to happen to and or with Alcide? Why do you think Bill helped out Sam and Tara? Review and subscribe!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: So, I am getting great reviews on this as always. I truly adore you guys! Okay, so a lot of people don't like Alcide…hmmm….well, we'll work that out ;)….Any more speculations on why Bill did what he did? Enjoy.**_

_**Dreaming With A Broken Heart by John Mayer for this chapter….**_

I felt a poking in my leg and I rolled over. The poking continued. I opened my eyes and saw David there, poking at my leg. I sat up.

"I thought you were dead. You don't move at all when you sleep. You're a lot like Bill, you know." He said.

I let out a soft groggy laugh. "I bet I am."

"I'm going to be late for school." He said.

I yawned and stretched before looking at the clock. It was almost 9a.m. "Honey, how about we skip school today? Go downstairs so I can make us some breakfast." I said.

David nodded furiously before he took off out of my room and down the stairs. I sighed and slowly got out of the bed, groaning as a flare shot up my leg.

I really might have to get that checked out sometime.

I limped to the shower and washed up before getting dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and gray jogging pants. I pulled my hair up in a messy bun before limping downstairs.

David was sitting on the edge of the sofa, biting his fingernails. My eyes flashed to the TV and I saw a woman screaming as she got chopped in half.

"David! What are you watching?" I asked as I snatched the remote from him.

"It's Friday the 13th. I didn't want to watch Dora the Explorer so I watched this."

I rolled my eyes. "David, you're four years old! You can't watch things like this! How about Sesame Street? You like that?" I asked.

David nodded. "Mhm. I like Burt and Ernie." He said.

I smiled and walked into the kitchen. I got his medicine from the cabinet and gave it to him before I started making breakfast for him.

My leg was still hurting horribly and I knew I might actually have to drive to the hospital. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go to Shreveport General or Clarice Memorial.

The hospital in Clarice was closer but Shreveport General was far more…advanced, for lack of a better word.

I told David to go get dressed so we could leave after breakfast. He was back down quickly, wearing a red Transformers t-shirt with some jeans and some little red Converse Rachel must've gotten for him. I smiled.

"That's my little man. Now, come on and let's eat breakfast." I said, bringing the plate of biscuits, bacon, and toast over to the table. I poured us both cups of orange juice before sitting down.

We ate in content silence, though I could tell David wanted to say something.

"Mommy?" he asked softly. I froze for about a minute before I looked up at him.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Who was that lady on the floor the other night? Her eyes were all open and stuff. It was weird." He said.

I almost choked on my toast. He hadn't even remotely recognized his own mother? He had called me _Mommy_ and this was only the second time.

He had to have known I wasn't his Mommy, that his Mommy was dead.

But he didn't.

David Livingston was a four year old boy who was content with toy cars and Spiderman. There was no way I was going to ruin that for him. He was so young.

"That woman…she was a friend of Bill's, I—I think. She was just staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes. She must've gotten bored waiting for Bill to come." I said.

It was the lamest thing anyone could've told a child but I'd had to improvise. What was I supposed to say? _Oh, that woman? That was your real mom and she was dead because someone snapped her neck like a twig. How're the biscuits?_ I imagined that would have gone over beautifully.

"Oh," he said. "Did she leave?"

I nodded. "Yes, she did. She decided to go on vacation for a very long time."

David didn't say anything, only bit at his toast. I watched him closely for the rest of breakfast, waiting for him to shout out that I was lying and none of it was fair, but he didn't.

We got to Shreveport General at almost noon. I checked in at the front desk and waited for my name to be called. David was a few feet away, playing with the Lego's on the small table that was there for the kids. I was on my 9th round of Brick Breaker on my Blackberry when my name was called.

"Come on, honey." I said softly, grasping David's hand as I limped down the hall behind the nurse. I recognized her.

"Sheila?" I asked.

She spun around and smiled at me. "Didn't see you there, sweetie. Where've you been?" she asked.

"At home, really. I had an accident there and I was trying to ignore it all. But, I decided I needed to come here."

Sheila laughed and led me to an examination room and sat me down, doing the necessary checkup before saying that a Dr. Damudez would be in to see me shortly.

During the wait, I started another round of Brick Breaker as David played with the Spiderman and Superman action figures he'd brought along with him.

The door opened and Dr. Damudez walked in. We talked about my injury for a while as David played with his action figures, making explosion noises and such.

A few hours later, I was walking out of the hospital with a brace on my leg. Dr. Damudez had stated that my leg was indeed broken.

We got home and I made some lasagna for David and I. It was almost 7p.m. and both David and I were tired. We ate and I gave David a bath before we both went to sleep.

I wasn't sure if Bill would be coming over tonight and more than likely, he would. But, I would open the door when he got here.

_I was dreaming of Gran that night. She was alive in my dream. She was in the kitchen making breakfast. _

"_Good morning, honey. Do you want some bacon?" she asked. I nodded. "Of course, Gran." I was beside myself. I sat down and grabbed the syrup. Just then, David ran into the kitchen._

"_Morning, sweetie." I said to him._

_But, he didn't hear me. He ran right past me and out the door. I got up out of the chair and ran outside. "David, come back here! You better answer me when I'm talkin to you!" I yelled. I looked around me but I couldn't see David. I looked around the house and in the backyard and I still couldn't find him. _

"_David!" I yelled out as I went around the house. I was back at the front of the house when I felt Gran's hand on my shoulder. I spun around to look at her._

"_Sookie, hone, wake up." She said. The sound of thunder was heard over head and I looked up at the sky, only it wasn't black. It was red. Fire was spraying from the sky, little balls of it landing around the two of us. I looked back down at Gran._

"_Gran, I can't find David." I said with tears in my eyes._

"_Wake up, honey. Wake up." Gran replied gravely, fading as she did so. I woke up quickly._

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that it was hot, too hot. I looked over next to me.

The second thing I noticed was that David was not next to me. I looked around the room and the third thing I noticed was the smoke.

There was smoke everywhere.

I jumped out of the bed and ran (limped more like) to the door with a t-shirt in my hand. I wrapped the t-shirt around my hand and pulled the door open.

That's when I noticed the fourth thing.

Fire.

Everywhere.

I coughed as some smoke reached my mouth and nose. It burned my eyes. "David!" I yelled. But I couldn't see him. There were flames everywhere. I ran down the hall to the kitchen. I looked around.

"David!" I yelled again. "David!"

Panic raced through my body. I couldn't see him anywhere. I could barely see through the smoke and fire. I heard footsteps rushing behind me. I spun around, David's name on my lips. Only it wasn't David; it was Bill.

"Sookie, you need to get out of this house now! This smoke is going to kill you!" he yelled, taking my arm.

"Bill, I can't! I can't find David! I can't find him anywhere!" I yelled over the roaring of the flames.

"_I'll_ find him, Sookie. You need to get out now!" he yelled back before picking me up and carrying me out of the house. He sat me down on the front lawn, at a safe distance from the house.

"Stay here, Sookie. I'll go find him." Bill said before racing back in the house.

"No!" I yelled. But it was to late. He was already in the house, which I noticed was almost completely destroyed. Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought of all the possible scenarios.

I heard hurried footsteps behind me and I spun to see Eric running up the driveway.

"I came as soon as I heard." Eric said.

I stood up as best I could, ignoring the pain in my leg. "Bill called _you_?" I asked incredulously. Just then, Bill came out of the house.

I went toward him. "Well?" I asked.

Bill looked at me gravely. "Sookie, I could not find him anywhere. I looked all over the house and I could not find him. I couldn't even smell him." He said.

A feeling of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. Something told me this night would not end well.

"I'll go see if I can find him." Eric said.

"What? No! Call the sheriff!" I protested.

"I _am_ the sheriff, Sookie."

"No, you're not, Eric! You're a goddamn vampire! You could die in there!" I yelled.

Eric didn't say a word but ran into the house without looking back. Bill was already on his phone, calling the ambulance, fire department, and police. He hung up and turned to me.

"How did this happen?" he asked carefully.

I wiped some stray tears from my eyes before answering. "I don't know, Bill, I don't know! We went to sleep at around 7 and he was laying right next to me. Then I have this dream that I can't find him, I wake up, and my entire house is on fire. When I woke up, he wasn't next to me!" I said, crying as I told him.

Bill took me in his arms. "Everything will be fine, Sookie." He said reassuringly.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't be, that something was just not right about this entire situation.

Just then, Eric came out of the house with David in his arms. He came toward us just as the police, fire trucks, and ambulance came up the driveway. Eric laid David on the ground and I bent down next to him.

There were smudges on his face from the smoke. His skin was beginning to pale and he wasn't breathing.

"David, wake up, sweetie, wake up." I said frantically as I tried to shake him awake. He wouldn't wake up. I parted his lips slightly and tried mouth to mouth resuscitation but noting was happening. I pushed down on his chest, trying to get him to wake up.

"David, please, wake up!" I said, panic and dread in my words. I had a horrible consuming feeling that he wasn't going to wake up but I kept trying.

"Sookie, please. He…I don't think…" Bill trailed off. I spun around and glared daggers at him.

"Don't you dare, Bill Compton! Don't you dare say he's dead because he isn't!" I screamed, just as the paramedics came toward me.

"Ma'am, you need to move. We're going to try to do what we can."

A short woman with red hair said as she bent down next to me. I couldn't speak. Bill picked me up and held me as they put David on a stretcher and loaded him into the ambulance. Bill went to go get his car and told me he'd be back in five minutes.

Eric was standing there watching the fire consume my house with an odd expression on his face. I couldn't place what I was seeing there as Eric completely wiped his face of any emotion.

A few moments later, the sound of Bill's car coming up the driveway made me turn around. He got out of the car and helped me into it.

I didn't pay attention to what was going on around me. All I saw before we drove away was my house burning ground and the firefighters trying to put it out.

Bill and I sat in the waiting room, waiting for the doctors to tell us something. I played with my hands, wringing them and stretching them over and over again.

A few times, I caught Bill looking over at me, wanting to say something but not finding the words to.

I was now running my fingers through my hair incessantly and I was about to do it again when a doctor came into the waiting room.

"I am looking for the parents of David Livingston." The doctor, who I recognized as Dr. Damudez, said.

Bill and I stood up and the doctor came toward us.

"I have bad news." Dr. Damudez said gravely. His eyes shown with sorrow and sadness, but I wouldn't confirm the thoughts that were already going through my head. I just wouldn't.

"David…we tried as hard as we could…I'm sorry." He said.

And although I expected these words, I protested. "What do you mean? What happened? Where's David?" I asked frantically.

Dr. Damudez gave me a sad look. "I am very sorry. David is…he's dead."

I knew what the doctor would say. I knew how he would say it. I knew the words that would come out of his mouth before he could say them.

And yet I didn't expect them to hurt when he said them.

"How?" I choked out. I wrapped my arms around my stomach. It felt like my insides were about to fall out.

Dr. Damudez sighed. "He was having a hard time breathing, what with all the smoke, and he had a massive seizure. His brain was bleeding and it was smothering his brain, making it hard for his nervous system to send messages to help him breathe. It wasn't the smoke that killed him. It was his seizure." He said.

"But…I don't understand. He took his medicine! I gave it to him!" I yelled.

Bill looked at me and I could see red coming down his face. He was trying to conceal it but I knew better. He was just as upset as I was.

"The treatment was not enough. Something had to have triggered the seizure. It did not just happen, as most seizures do." Dr. Damudez said.

Everything started spinning. I felt like I was going to throw up. My knees gave away beneath me. I felt a massive pain in my chest, worse than when my parents and even Gran had died.

I felt like my heart was being torn and stomped on.

Tears blurred my vision and I felt horrible sobs escape my body. Someone was holding me. I didn't know who. I didn't care. All I knew was that my world was destroyed now.

_**A/N: Wow…this chapter really did write itself…oh, Jeebus…what did you guys think?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: OMGOMGOMGOMG Did any of ya'll see the Season 3 Trailer yet? OMGOMGOMG it is CRAZY! So excited! A lot of people were wondering why I killed off David. And my reason is this: it is very important that he died because something major will happen involving that. I really love that you guys still are interested in this story and every review is appreciated. Enjoy! **_

_**Chapter Song: The Difference Between Us by Dead Weather (also the song on the TBS3 trailer)**_

Bill picked me up and guided me to the morgue. I guess it still hadn't hit me that David was dead. The coroner stepped out as we came in, allowing us some time with David.

I walked to the metallic table and slowly pulled back the sheet. And there he was. His body was pale. Hi slips looked vaguely blue. I pressed a hand to his forehead, his body cold, like Bill's, against my skin.

"David, I'm so sorry, sweetie. I am so _terribly_ sorry." I said, tears coming down my face.

I didn't bother wiping them away. A few fell onto his cheeks. My mind buzzed just then, as if there were another living mind in the room.

I spun around but didn't see anyone there. I turned back around to look at David. His eyes were wide open. I screamed.

"Sookie, what is it?" Bill asked as he held me against him tightly.

I shook my head fervently as my head rested on his chest. I could vaguely hear his voice, telling me that everything would be alright.

But I couldn't believe it.

I gripped Bill's shirt in my hands, clinging onto him, as if for dear life.

We rode back to Bon Temps in heavy silence. I couldn't tell Bill what I had seen. I wasn't even sure if he'd seen what I had.

I stared out the window; the rain pouring from the dark sky seemed to be mocking me.

Bill stopped off and got some sleep-aids for me but I wasn't even sure if I could sleep. Not tonight at least.

I told him to let me go back to my house. He had to let me go see it. He told me it could wait until tomorrow.

For now, he said, I could stay with him. Luckily for me, he still had some clothes of mine at his house.

I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard Bill talking on the phone in the other room. Sighing, I walked around the house, in search of something to sustain me.

I found some bottles of Vodka that must have belonged to Rachel when she was still here. I snatched one and brought it with me upstairs.

Bill was in the shower now. I curled up on the bed and took the cap off the bottle.

I wasn't sure how I did it, but I drank the entire bottle in less than 8 minutes. I could feel something buzzing in my head and I knew I wanted more.

I crept back downstairs and grabbed another bottle. I pressed it to my lips and drank half of it, non-stop, before I suddenly felt very angry.

I threw the bottle at the wall, taking momentary joy in watching as it shattered into a million pieces. Then I got angrier.

Pissed.

I suddenly found myself hurling anything I could see at the wall.

I threw a rather nice looking vase at the wall before I crumpled to the floor in desperate tears.

I couldn't stop crying. I was suddenly aware of another presence in the room.

My tears clouded my vision, but I knew it was Bill. I sobbed harder now.

"It's all my fault," I wailed. I felt him pick me up and hold me to him. "Everything. It's _all_ my fault." I cried into his shirt.

"Sookie, don't you ever say that. None of this is your fault. If I blamed you for what happened to David, I could never forgive myself." he said. I pulled away from him and looked up at him.

"How could you feel that way? I should've never come back, Bill. Don't you see? If I had just stayed in New York, you would've still had Rachel and David…he wouldn't be dead." I said.

Bill shook his head slowly. "If you believe that, Sookie, then it _is_ truly your sanity I fear for."

I didn't say anything to that. Bill led me to the bed and pulled back the covers for me. I slid beneath them as he walked to the door.

"I'll be back. You need some food…and coffee." He said.

Then, I was alone again. I lay on my side, staring at the wall. The large splotch of Vodka stood out on the wall. I sighed as I closed my eyes before opening them again slowly. I turned on my back, staring up at the ceiling now.

Bill returned to the room quickly, holding a tray with a tall cup of steaming coffee and something else. I sat up against the headboard as Bill placed the tray in front of me.

I could see now that the other thing on the plate was a bacon cheeseburger with fries. I laughed slightly, but it came out like a garbled grunt.

I slowly picked up the burger and took a bite from it, sighing in contentment as I chewed. "Thanks." I said.

Bill smiled as he sat against the headboard. "I thought it might cheer you up. Do you like it? If not, I—"

"Everything is good, Bill. But I don't deserve it." I said.

"Well, Sookie, in my opinion, you deserve all that's good and whole in the world." He replied, smiling sweetly at me. A silence stretched between us as I finished my food and drank the coffee.

"You know," I said, placing the now empty tray on the nightstand. "I'm sorry for the way I acted toward you, Bill. I never stopped to hear what you had to say. And over and over again, you've done so much to help me. You _are_ a good man, Bill Compton." I said quietly.

Bill looked at me intently for a while. I looked back at him, wondering what he might say.

"If you're finished…" he trailed off, pointing to the tray.

I blinked a few times before nodding. "Yeah, go ahead. Take it." I said.

He was gone and back in a flash, sitting in the exact same place he'd been in before. But the moment was broken. I couldn't say anything else now.

Bill still looked at me intently. I stared down at the worn blankets on the bed before looking back up at him.

"Bill, I…I think I'm better off somewhere else. Everything I do seems to take something away, something that…can't be replaced. I no longer feel at home in Bon Temps. I feel exiled, like this is my punishment for the way I treated you and everyone else." I said ever so quietly.

"Sookie, you can't leave."

"Why?" I shouted at him. "Everything has just about gone to shit, Bill! Why in hell would I stay here? I got nothin' but bad memories here, memories that are turning more and more into nightmares everyday!" I yelled.

"I understand that, but you—"

"You _don't_ understand, Bill, because if you did, you would let me go! Stop trying to keep me here when you and I both know good and well that I don't belong here!"

"Sookie, you _do _belong here. I need you here with me, do you understand that? I know that things have not been the same—"

"You're right, Bill, they haven't! And they never will be! Things changed the moment you told me what your real agenda was and after that, my life was in shambles. It's happening again, Bill, and I am letting you know that when I leave, I am never coming back." I yelled at him.

"Why can't you stay here and just deal with things, Sookie? Why do you have to leave every fucking time something happens and you don't like it? Stop running away from your goddamn problems because I can promise you that no matter where the hell you go you will _still_ think about them!" Bill yelled back at me

My mind went blank for a few minutes as I processed the fact that Bill had just cussed and cussed at me. I stared at him, fire blazing in my eyes before Bill said something else.

"If you didn't want to be here, then why the fuck did you come back?" he yelled.

I swallowed, angry hot tears boiling in my eyes.

"It is none of your business why I came back. But don't you _dare_ get so arrogant enough as to even _think_ I came back because of you. I didn't. I could care less about you, Bill Compton. Every time I see or even think about _you_, I get sick to my stomach because I can't stand the _sight_ of a lyin', cheatin', no-good _vampire_." I spat at him viciously. My tone grew colder and colder with every word I spoke.

"Is that right?" he spat back with equal coldness.

"Yeah, that's right." I replied, venom and hatred seething through my words.

We were both silent as we stared burning holes into each other's faces. Then, Bill rushed at me. My body seized up, thinking he was about to hurt me.

But he did the exact opposite. He kissed me like he never had before. It wasn't as it had always been when we had still been together.

No.

This was something entirely different.

This wasn't just pent up feelings that were dying to be let go. This was anger unlike any other coming from both sides.

You could feel the years of anger, resentment, and love flowing between the two of us. There was no way I could ever deny I hate Bill, but there was he other half of my heart that loved him with everything in me.

I wasn't sure how long _things_ went on but when we stopped, both of us were sprawled across his bed.

The sheets were wrapped all which ways around the both of us. I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling, panting heavily.

My hair was sticking to my forehead and a thin sheen of sweat glazed my skin. Oddly enough, goosebumps arose on said skin.

My breathing was slowing when I turned to face him. His eyes locked with mine. "You know I hate you, right?" I asked, smiling wryly.

Bill smiled right back. "I know you do. And if this is what I get for that, then you keep on hatin' me."

I laughed softly as I hovered over him. "Gladly." I whispered before we started right where we left off.

_**A/N: Shorter…but what did you think? Bill and Sookie are going to have an odd relationship, my friends. Review and subscribe! Now, off to my Harry potter marathon…**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: So, everyone liked the last chapter thank God. I am going to let you all know now that Sookie and Bill's relationship will not be all lovey-dovey at the moment. It will take a LONG time for that to happen. At this moment, their relationship is like a big game to them. They start arguments for the hell of it because they know what the end result will be and they have some sick fascination with it. **_

_**You have to remember that they still have a lot of pent up anger inside them for each other (5 years that Sookie was gone plus the one year she was without Bill so that's 6 years). So, I hope you guys understand that. **_

_**Chapter Song: Kiss With A Fist by Florence and the Machine**_

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the windows. I sighed, rubbed my eyes, and sat up. The sheets fell away from my chest, exposing me to the cool chill that ran through the house.

I looked around, already knowing Bill would be gone, as always. Sighing, I got out of the bed and walked to the bathroom before showering.

When I came out, I got dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a peach colored tank top I'd found in one of the drawers. I was certain it had belonged to Rachel but I didn't quite care at the moment.

I planned on being out all day, so I wrote a note to Bill, telling him I'd be back around 8.

I didn't want to use Bill's car as I wasn't really sure how he would feel about that. I was certain he wouldn't mind but as he wasn't exactly around for me to ask, I didn't bother.

I walked through the cemetery that separated my house from his. I found myself wavering at Gran's gravestone.

"Hey, Gran," I said, sighing. "I'm not doin' so good. Someone set our house on fire and I have no idea what it looks like now. David died in that fire and I can't stop feeling like I should have been able to prevent it from happening. Bill helped me out and I think we're gettin' somewhere now, Gran." I said.

The cemetery was silent around me, save for the occasional bird chirping and the like. I looked around, taking sight of the grass on the ground. It was bright green with the occasional brown patch.

Wild flowers grew this way and that. Sunlight streamed through the cemetery, only being deterred by the ancient oak trees. The wind blew, a silent whisper across the quiet place.

I sighed, kissing my hand and placing it on the gravestone, before I got up and began walking out of the cemetery. I kept my eyes down on the path that would lead me to my house.

I couldn't bear to look just yet.

But when the smell of burning wood and lingering smoke filled my nostrils, I knew I would have to. My eyes rose slowly to look at the place I'd called home for years.

It was completely and utterly unrecognizable. The house was totally burned to the ground. I knew without having to search that nothing could be salvaged.

I looked down the driveway and saw my Volvo still where I left it, unscathed.

I walked to my car, surprised to find it open. The car keys were on the passenger seat along with an envelope that had nothing written on it.

Finding it odd, I reached across the inside of the car and opened the envelope. Inside was a check for $250,000.

"What the hell…" I said, trailing off when I noticed that the signature was damn near unreadable. I couldn't make out a single letter on there even I wanted.

As I put the check back in the envelope a small piece of paper fell out. I reached down and picked it up.

_Sorry_ was written on the paper in hard chain-scratch scrawl. Frowning, I looked at the check again, wondering who the hell could've given it to me.

After 15 minutes of trying to figure out who it was, I gave up and decided to drive to the bank.

After depositing the money in my account, I drove to Shreveport, hoping I could find Alcide. We hadn't talked in what seemed like forever, but it had only been a few days.

I sighed, thinking of how I could break the news to him that the timing was _still_ wrong, that I still had feelings for Bill.

I turned the radio to an old R&B station. I vaguely recognized some of the songs as the ones Teresa would play in the apartment back in New York.

I got to Alcide's job and parked my car before getting out. I walked inside the building and greeted the dry woman at the desk that seemed to perpetually hate her life.

I knocked slowly on the door of his office waiting for an answer.

"Come in." his gruff voice said.

I turned the door handle and stepped into his office and closed the door behind me. "Hey." I said, smiling slightly at him.

Alcide was filling out some papers and putting them in a file cabinet. "You don't have to tell me. I already know. I can smell him all over you." He said without looking up.

"That's actually why I came here, Alcide. I wanted to talk to you, to tell you that—"

"The timing is all wrong, right? Tell me, Sookie, why did you tell me you wanted to be with me in the first place if you were just going to go back to _him_?" he asked, finally looking up at me.

I frowned slightly. "Something really bad happened and Bill helped me out…" I said, trailing off.

"By screwing you. Well, Sookie, if that's what floats your boat, you go ahead and do that. But I want nothing to do with you anymore. I can't keep charring my ass on your backburner. I'm not going to be here whenever you want me to be." He said coldly, going back to looking at his papers.

Hot tears burned in my eyes and I felt a tugging at my heart. I got up from the chair I'd been sitting in when I came in and walked to the door.

I put my hand on the doorknob and froze before turning around.

"Do you know a good funeral home?" I asked quietly.

Alcide looked up at me, one eyebrow raised. "Bronson Brothers on First and Magnolia." He said suspiciously.

"Okay. And do you know a good contractor?" My voice cracked slightly.

"Reed Haylin on Grammercy. Why are you asking me about funeral homes and contractors?" he asked, rising slightly from his chair.

A hot tear made its way down my cheek. I sniffed and tried to keep the rest back. "Oh, I was just asking. You know, because someone set my house on fire and it got burned to the ground and David was inside and he died from a seizure and smoke inhalation."

Understanding and regret passed across Alcide's face. He stood completely form his chair. "Oh," he said. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged and sniffed before smiling the thousand watt smile I always put on when I wasn't too good on the inside. "Thanks for the help." I said before leaving the office.

Once I was far enough away from Alcide's job, I pulled over on the side of the road and cried. I cried because Alcide hadn't even given me a chance to explain myself.

I cried because David was gone and I missed him so much it hurt. I cried because I had no idea where I was with Bill or if things between us would ever be the same again.

At some point, when I felt that I had no more tears left, I started driving again. The first place I went was to Reed Haylin's offices on Grammercy. I had to see about getting my house rebuilt.

The building looked very warm and welcoming, contradictory to what I'd had in mind. It was a modest two story Victorian home that obviously had been converted to offices. I opened the door and walked slowly down the hall.

I could hear a phone ringing in what would have been the dining room and sure enough, when I walked in, a woman with strawberry red hair was answering the phones and scribbling things down on paper. She looked up at me as I came in and put a call on hold.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked cheerfully.

I smiled back slightly at her. "Actually, yes. I need to speak with Mr. Haylin." I replied.

The redhead nodded and picked up the phone again. "Hay, there's a blonde out here who wants to talk to you." She said.

I didn't focus much on anything else she said as I looked around the rest of the room. There were paintings here and there and the walls were colored a calming light blue with white crown molding. I looked down at the floor and noticed it was cherry hardwood.

"Ma'am?" The woman's voice startled me from my observations.

My head shot up and I looked at her.

"Haylin will see you now. Go upstairs and it's the den at the end of the hallway. I'll bring you up some water." She said.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem. I'm Leanne, by the way." She replied.

I nodded and walked upstairs, taking care to memorize my surroundings. I could hear a man's voice vaguely coming from upstairs and I could see the den at the end of the hallway right when I got to the top of the stairs.

"Hello." I said when I walked into the den.

A man with graying hair and blue eyes stood up with a smile on his face. "Hey, there! You must be the blonde Leanne was talking about."

I nodded. "Yep, that's me. Sookie Stackhouse." I said.

"Sookie. That is a strange name." he said.

"I know."

"Well, good, good. Sit." He replied, indicating a rather comfy looking chair in front of his desk.

I did as he said and sat my purse on top of my lap. He put away some papers that were on his desk and took out a rather large sketch pad.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

I sighed. "Mr. Haylin—"

"Please, call me Reed."

"Reed. My entire house caught fire and is burned completely to the ground. There is no chance of restoring or renovating it. I _have_ to rebuild it." I said.

"And where is your home?" he asked, as he began drawing lines and curves on the paper. At the moment, it looked like nonsense to me.

"Bon Temps. It's about 25 miles from here, near Lafayette." I stated.

"Good, good. And describe your house to me."

"It had two stories. It was white on the outside with dark shutters. There's a shed near the edge of the yard. On the inside, there were about four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was pretty decent sized and the living room was only a bit bigger than that." I explained.

"How long have you had this home?" he asked, his voice detached as he drew more and more.

"It's been in my family for about 150 years, Mr. Haylin." I answered.

He finally looked up, shock on his face along with something like excitement. "It was that old?" he asked.

"My great, great grandfather built it himself." I said.

Reed smiled at this and continued his drawing. "Well, that is certainly good. I've never had the opportunity to work with a house so old." He said, excitement in his voice. He was like a little kid the night before Christmas.

"Well, technically you won't be working with anything. There's nothin' left, Mr. Haylin."

Reed threw his hands up, his sketch book abandoned on the desk. "Even better!" he exclaimed. "We can start from the ground up!"

From then on, Reed and I talked about how much it would cost to rebuild the house. It came out to somewhere around $235, 000 which was good considering I would have $15,000 left over for David's funeral.

By the time I left the office, it was set. Reed and his men would begin work on the house starting in two days. On the whole, the house would take a few weeks to finish. Reed Haylin had vampires working as his construction workers. No wonder he was so well-known.

My next stop was the funeral home. It was a modest sized house that had also been converted into offices. I was greeted by Fredrick Bronson Sr. and his brother Donald Bronson. They gave me their condolences for whatever loved one I'd lost and we got right to work.

I told them David's height and weight and told them I wanted a brass coffin for him lined in white silk. I told them that on the headstone I wanted it to say:

_David Livingston_

_November 15, 2005- June 13, 2010_

_Beloved Son and Angel_

They agreed to do it and that it would all come out to be $10,000 for the entire funeral and burial.

Leaving the place, I felt sadness weighing on my heart. I wished that none of this had happened at all. I couldn't stop feeling like I was to blame for David's death and on top of that, there was a feeling in my gut that told me that his death wasn't an accident.

On the way back to Bill's, I decided to stop and get some food and visit Jason. I hadn't seen him since my first night back.

I knocked on his door with my free hand as I was holding a bag filled with our favorite things from McDonald's. A few moments later, he opened the door and smiled at me.

"Hey! I haven't seen you in forever. Come on in." he said, holding the door open for me.

"Thanks." I said as I sat down on his sofa.

We ate our food and made small talk about how I was doing. Jason knew about the fire. I told him everything about Rachel and David and he didn't say a single word until I was done. When I finished talking, he rushed over to me and gathered me up in a long comforting hug. I held onto him tightly as tears flowed freely down my cheeks.

When we broke away he sat down next to me and waited until I'd finished crying before he spoke.

"I'm sorry all this happened to you, Sookie. I'll help in anyway I can. I have some money in the bank if you—"

"Don't worry about it, Jase. You need that money and I'm not taking any of it." I said, sniffling as I wiped my eyes with the napkin he'd just gave me.

He eyed me warily for a few moments before he took a sip from his Coke. A moment of silence stretched between us as we finished our food.

"Well," he said. "If you're looking to have some good news in your life, my cancer's gone." He said smiling.

My head shot up and my eyes met his. "Are you serious?" I asked breathlessly.

"Serious as cancer." Jason replied, cracking a smile.

I jumped off the sofa and hugged him tightly. He laughed lowly and broke away from me.

"Oh, Jason, I'm so happy! We have to celebrate!"

"I was thinking we could go to Disney World in a few weeks. You can even bring Bill with you. What do you think?" he asked.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! I'm sure Bill would love that." I replied.

For the next couple of hours, we talked about things. I told Jason I'd already found a good contractor who'd rebuild the house and that David's funeral was going to be in two days.

Soon, I decided to leave. I bade Jason goodnight and climbed back in my car before driving to the grocery store. I picked up a few things, including a mini fridge, before I drove back to Bill's house. It was dark out now.

I carried everything to the front door before locking my car and going inside. I dragged the mini fridge and the groceries into what was supposed to be the kitchen and started putting things away.

"You said you'd be back around 8. It's almost 10 o'clock now." Bill's voice hissed from the doorway of the kitchen. I continued putting the groceries away.

"Shit happens." I muttered as I put away the last thing, a half gallon of milk. I pushed the mini fridge against the wall.

Bill was next to me in a flash, glaring at me through his intensely gray eyes. "Where were you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Did you take my car?"

"Hell, no. I have a Volvo. Why would I take that old thing you have sitting in front of your house?"

"It is not old. And I would like to know exactly _where_ you were today." Bill said, pissed.

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir," I said sarcastically. "If you must know, I went to go find a contractor and a funeral home and I went to go visit Jason. Then, I stopped off and got some food since you obviously want me to starve in here. That enough for you?" I asked, glaring at him with one hand parked on my hip.

Bill glared at me, growling just slightly before he suddenly had me up against the wall, my wrists pinned over my head.

"Yes, that is quite enough." He answered before kissing me hungrily. His mouth practically attacked mine and soon enough I felt like I was flying. When I opened my eyes, we were back in his room.

I broke away from him. "I have a problem with people invading my space, Bill." I said. He gave me a look before I pulled my hand back and slapped him hard across his face.

"Don't do it again." I said.

Bill's face had turned to the side when I hit him, though now it was rising slowly to look up at me. Suddenly, he ran at me and pushed me on the bed. He hovered over me, his fangs out and his eyes blazing.

Before I could say a word, his teeth were in my neck. I screamed out in slight agony. It had been a while since he'd done that.

Finally, he stopped and looked at me again, his fangs dripping blood onto my exposed chest that the tank top showed.

"You shouldn't test me, Sookie." He said.

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"We'll see about that."

_**A/N: What did you think about **_**this**_**, my fellow readers? How did you like the chapter? Who do you want to see more of besides Bill? Should there be a new character added into the story? Tell me what you think! Read, review, and favorite!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm so glad everyone loves the story! Have you been listening to the music I recommend for every chapter? You should, because it really gets the theme of every chapter out for me. Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter Songs: Death and All His Friends by Coldplay & Let It Be by The Beatles (Across the Universe Version)**_

I looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was a quarter past one in the morning. I was lying on my back in Bill's bed, staring up at the ceiling, the sheets up to my chest. Goosebumps arose on my skin as a draft came through the room. My blonde hair was tossed across my right shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Bill said quietly, breaking the heavy silence

"For?"

"What I did earlier...to you, what I said."

I rolled over on my side and stared at him. "You shouldn't apologize, Bill. I kinda liked it. And, just a thought, when did _you _grow balls and start cussin' and yellin'? Is it the whole sheriff thing getting to you now?" I said, smiling wryly.

He smiled back, though only slightly. "Perhaps."

"Well, I like it."

Silence resumed again. Bill stared past me, a strange look in his eyes, like he was thinking about something. I stared into his gray eyes, wondering why I felt the way I did. Why did I like the fact that we fought and then got what we wanted? Was there some sick part of me that enjoyed it? Was there some edge it added to our relationship, if there was one?

"Sookie," Bill said suddenly.

I blinked a bit and looked at him. "Yeah?"

He looked up into my eyes now, his face serious. "I want…I want to…"

"Say it."

"I _want_ to be with you. Truly. Not…like this." He said.

His words stunned me, shocked me. I didn't know what to say. I looked in his eyes for something that would tell me he was lying, that this wasn't what he really wanted. But, I saw nothing but truth; good, sweet, beautiful truth.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly, despite my confirmations of Bill's integrity.

Bill sighed, as if what he would say next might make me angry.

"I want to be with you, Sookie. I want things to go back to the way they were between us and I know that's a hell of a lot to ask after everything I put you through, but I want to prove to you that I _can_ be the man you used to love. I don't want you to love anyone else the way you loved me. And I know it sounds selfish but it's true. I feel horrible about what I did to you and I want to start all over again." He said.

I stared at him for a moment, absorbing every word I heard come out of his mouth. I breathed a little faster as my eyes moved slowly around the room and back to him. I let out a deep sigh and smiled at him.

"Hello, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

He smiled at me and pulled me to him, kissing me softly. It was different this time and I knew it. It was different from the game we played, different from the sick obsession we'd both had. I could tell something different was beginning now, something that I might actually like, something I could get used to when things were so haywire at the moment.

I pulled away and he held me in his arms. My head rested on his chest. It was strange not hearing his heart beat, but for a moment, I imagined that I could. For a moment, I imagined that Bill was just as human as I was. I imagined that he had a heartbeat and that it would match mine.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.

I smiled barely and laughed softly. "Just things."

"Like?"

"Jason told me his cancer's gone. He wants to go to Disney World to celebrate. He said he'd really like it if you came." I replied quietly.

"Well, Sookie, I am delighted to hear that he is no longer sick, but as for coming with you, I have sheriff duties here."

"But, Bill, it would mean the world to me if you came. Besides, I might be able to talk him out of Disney World and get his mind set on goin' to the Czech Republic for Christmas. It's beautiful over there and I hear they love vampires."

"I'll see what I can do. And I must admit the Czech does sound more appealing than—"

"Disney World?"

"Yes."

We both laughed and talked about other things. He told me his job as sheriff had proved to be pretty easy thus far. He hadn't had much trouble in the area. From what he knew, Maryanne had been the last living maenad so that issue was nothing to worry about. The Shreveport pack of Weres were pretty decent and the Witches were okay, though there was one that he was keeping his eye on. It sounded nice to me.

"So, Bill," I said.

"Hm?"

"When," I said. "Are you going to do something to this house so people will stop thinking the Adams family lives here?"

He chuckled lightly at that and ran a hand through my hair. "As soon as you get done with your house."

"That'll only be a few weeks." I replied teasingly.

"Are you going to make it look the same way it did before?" he asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm just gonna let Mr. Haylin surprise me. You know, he has vampires workin' for him. That's why he says the house'll be done quickly."

"Reed Haylin? The contractor in Shreveport?" Bill asked cautiously.

"Yeah. Alcide said he's a good contractor and I should go to him. Why are you lookin' like that?"

"You don't know then."

"Obviously not, if you haven't told me."

"Reed Haylin is not his real name. His name is Viktor Tarasov. He is the Vice Magister of North America." Bill said.

"What? What's he doin' all the way down here?" I asked.

"No idea. But as I am only a sheriff, it is not in my place to ask him, though from what I've heard, he is harmless at the moment." Bill answered.

"And a good carpenter. At least, everyone else thinks so. But, you seriously don't know what he's doing down here?"

"Not the slightest idea."

I quickly got out of the bed and put on a pair of blue yoga pants and a black tank top. I sifted through my purse and pulled out my Blackberry. My fingers flew across the keyboard at rapid speed. I smiled to myself as I noticed Bill watch me in awe. I took it he still hadn't become BFFs with technology yet.

"What are you doing?" he asked warily.

"You might want to put some clothes on," I said. "Someone's comin' over."

Bill was out of the bed in a flash. "Who?"

"Eric." I replied, sliding my feet into some ankle socks.

"Why?"

"I wanna ask him a few things."

"Isn't that what telephones are for?"

"Well, yeah, but still—"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Well, damn. I didn't think he'd be here that quick," I exclaimed. "And for God's sake, put some clothes on!" I hissed before hurrying downstairs to open the front door.

Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my hair back and dusted any and all imaginary dust from my shirt before opening the door.

Eric basically took up the entire doorframe. He was staring down at me with those piercing blue eyes. I noticed he was wearing a dark Armani suit and he was giving me a strange look.

"Well, don't just stand there. Invite me in." he said.

I stared at him for a few minutes before yelling up the stairs, "Hey, Bill, can Eric come in?"

"The porch will suffice for him." I heard him grumble back. Technically, Bill shouldn't have done this but I don't think he cared.

I sighed. "Alright, then. The porch it is."

Eric backed up and allowed me to walk out onto the porch. He leaned against the railing and I wondered if I heard it creak against his weight.

"You wanted to speak with me." He said, as more of a statement than a question.

I nodded. "Tell me why Viktor Tarasov is down here in Louisiana. He's a Vice Magister going by the name of Reed Haylin and he's workin' on my house. What do you know about it?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall.

Eric smiled and chuckled slightly. "I'm sure I know just as much as you do. Though from what I hear, he _did_ have a…mate here. I believe her name was Rachel Livingston." He said. I was almost certain that Eric didn't make the connection that Bill and Rachel had been together before.

I felt my insides go cold. "So? Why would that bring him here?" I asked.

"She's gone missing apparently and he plans on finding her. When he finds out who killed her, there will be grave consequences." Eric replied.

Everything in me froze. Eric had no idea the woman he'd killed that night at my house was the Vice Magister's girlfriend, Rachel Livingston. No doubt he was probably looking for her son, too. What if he already knew that Rachel and Bill had been together and was only working on my house so he could interrogate Bill? I was growing more and more suspicious by the minute.

Another question came to my mind just then.

"How did you find David that night?" My voice cracked slightly and I could feel light tears building at the base of my throat.

I noticed Eric tense, his face going devoid of any emotion whatsoever. He straightened up and crossed his arms just as I had done.

"I smelled him out."

"That makes no sense, Eric. Bill went in first and he told me _himself_ that he wasn't able to smell David _at all_. How did you find him but Bill couldn't? And don't give me that crap about you being older because I know that's not it."

Eric blinked. "I just had a feeling I knew where he was."

"And where was he?"

"Sookie, we will discuss this at a later time but if you will excuse me, I _must_ get back to my regal duties. Do forgive me, and give Bill my regards." Eric said, deflecting, and suddenly he was gone.

I stared after him, the only thing in sight being a bunch of trees and grass. I found it strange that Eric got all weird when I asked him about David. Sighing, I went back inside, upstairs to Bill's room.

"What did he want?" Bill asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I just asked him about Viktor, you know, what he was doin' here and stuff. He says Victor had a girlfriend who came down here with her son and went missing. Now, Victor's tryin' to find her, or whoever killed her." I said coolly.

A look of shock and desperation spread across Bill's face, then, understanding. "Wait. You mean to say that Rachel belonged to another vampire?"

I nodded. "Apparently. Look, Bill, chances are: if Viktor's workin' on my house, he's close to you. He's probably gonna interrogate you at some point. You could get in a lot of trouble, you know."

"Of course, I know, Sookie. The repercussions for taking away another vampire's mate without permission, especially the Vice Magister's mate, are very grave, indeed. I cannot believe I could've been so stupid. There was no trace of him anywhere on her or in her blood. I would've known. She never mentioned anything about him. I never saw any marks that might even indicate she belonged to someone else." Bill said, talking more to himself than me.

Damn. And Alcide had buried the body. He'd probably get in trouble, too.

I sighed again. "Bill, we're in deep shit. And Eric doesn't even know that the woman who attacked me that night _was_ Rachel. He has _no_ idea _whatsoever_. He's gonna be in even deeper shit than we are." I was starting to sound hysterical, I noticed.

Bill looked up at me from his hands and moved backward on the bed. He patted the space next to him.

"You need to rest." He murmured.

I nodded solemnly and crawled into bed next to him. Just then, I thought back to my encounter with Eric and I felt a strange sense of nausea and dread about him. I couldn't explain why.

"Something's wrong," Bill said. "Tell me."

I shook my head, as if it could possibly relieve the nausea and dread that was seated in the pit of my stomach.

"I can't explain it, Bill. I just…I got a bad feelin' about Eric and it has nothin' to do with him killin' Rachel. I got a feelin' that…that maybe…David's death wasn't accident. Bill, I think… I think David was murdered."

_**A/N: WOAH! Plot twist! Can anyone guess what's gonna happen next? Why was Eric all weird? What's gonna happen to Bill and Sookie? Reviews are appreciated, people! Until next time….**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: So, if you thought last chapter was crazy, wait till you read this. Thanks for reviewing, everyone! I would like to give a shout out to **__**, a.k.a my best friend in the whole world, for finally reading this story. Love you! Enjoy the story, comrades!**_

_**Song for the Chapter: Ignorance by Paramore**_

"What? What would make you think that?" he asked incredulously, sitting up now.

I sat up, too, pulling my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. "I can't explain it, Bill. I just…I have this gut feeling that I've kind of felt ever since that night: that something about David not being there when I woke up was strange. He wouldn't just wander off like that. And if the house was on fire, he would've either run back to the room or ran out of the house."

Bill gave me a look filled with sympathy. "Sookie, I understand that David's death has had an effect on you but you need to accept his death for what it is."

"Which was a murder?" I raged, standing up from the bed now. Fire and hot tears blazed in my eyes.

"You expect me to just _ignore_ this feeling I have, that David's death was intentional? _You_ put the pieces together, Bill! _You_ couldn't smell him out or find him _anywhere_ in the house that night! Suddenly, Eric shows up, running at human speed I might add, saying that he came as soon as he heard which is fairly unbelievable as neither _you_ nor I called him. _He_ goes in and suddenly David's out of the house! I'm telling you, Bill, _Eric_ set my house on fire _and_ killed David! He took him from my bed and put him somewhere! I know it! Eric's intention was not to kill _me_ but _David_!" I yelled.

Bill stared at me like I'd gone off the deep end. "Sookie, perhaps you need to—"

"Don't tell me what I _need_ to do, Bill! I already knew you wouldn't believe me anyway. You think I'm crazy just like everyone else does!" I yelled at him. He was up in a flash and at my side. He was trying to hold both my shoulders but I shook him off.

"Do _not_ touch me!" I screamed at him.

He flinched in surprise and straightened slightly. "Sookie, please. I do not wish to argue with you anymore."

"So you believe me?"

"What I believe is—" Bill stopped abruptly.

"What?"

"What reason would Eric have to kill David and burn your house down?" he asked, as if my theory of Eric being a murderer had only just dawned on him.

"I don't know! Wanna go ask him?"

"Of course, not! He would deny it, of course. And yet again, being a sheriff, I am not allowed to ask him any such questions. We may, of course, have to go to a higher force. The Vice-Magister; once we have enough proof." Bill said.

"Won't he already be pissed at you for taking his girl?" I asked.

"But I couldn't smell him on her or in her blood! And I can guarantee you he'll be more angry with Eric for killing her than me for taking her." Bill replied defensively.

"I'm not saying that's _your_ fault, Bill. But don't you think there's a reason for that? I mean, I was able to hear stuff in her head pretty clear but she can turn into a wolf! I'm not really good at reading Weres, Bill." I said.

"So, she must have been a shifter, but I would have known. I would have smelled it."

"She never told you she could change?" I asked.

He shook his head. "We need to get Eric to admit to killing David and setting your house on fire but it'll be a thousand years before that happens."

Just then, a knock came from downstairs at the front door. Bill sighed, an exasperate look on his face.

"Who the hell thinks I'm worth visiting with at this time of the night?" he mumbled as he headed downstairs. I walked behind him, only staying a few feet behind him.

He opened the door and saw Pam and Chow standing there.

"Can I help you?" Bill asked, trying his hardest to be composed.

He wanted to just sit and think, I could tell, which was kind of hard to do when people were just showing up at his house.

"Have you seen Eric?" Pam asked, her hands on her hips. She looked like a PTO mom with fangs.

"He came by here just a few minutes ago. Why?" Bill replied.

"I felt something through the bond. It was like I was blinded for a few moments and after that, I could not even get through the bond to see what happened. I think Eric's in trouble." Pam said.

To my surprise, and apparently Pam and Chow's, Bill shrugged.

"So? What do you want me to do? He was only just by at least ten minutes ago. Search around the house if you wish but I cannot officially search for him for another 24 hours. We have to be certain he's missing and not just going off somewhere." Bill replied.

"I felt something through our bond, Bill. He is in danger and as sheriff, it is your duty to go looking for him!" Pam said, outraged.

"Do not tell me what my duties are, Pamela. I am aware of them. But if, in the next 24 hours, you still cannot contact Eric, I will go look for him." Bill replied.

Pam gave him a snide look and was gone.

Chow, however, was still there. "Listen, Bill, if we both thought that Eric was just going off, we wouldn't have come here. But Pam is truly convinced that something bad has happened to Eric and he can't be very far." He said calmly.

I had always liked Chow. He was a calm and placid vampire most of the times and he was always calm in a crisis.

Bill sighed. "Go search the perimeter and beyond. If you can pick up his scent, follow it. If not, come back here."

Chow nodded once and was gone.

Bill closed the front door and turned to look at me.

"I don't think it's a coincidence." I said.

"Nothing in Bon Temps ever is." Bill replied before he walked into the living room.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Sprite from the fridge and a bag of Ramen from the plastic bag next to it before joining Bill in the living room.

I sat down on the sofa across from him and proceeded to opening my bag of Ramen, putting the seasoning on it.

"So, what do you think happened to him?" I asked.

"I have no idea. We'll have to wait for Chow to return and tell us if he's found something at all." Bill answered.

So, we sat there in silence, me eating my uncooked Ramen and Bill staying in his thoughts. When I finished eating, I sat the empty pack on the coffee table and curled up in the armchair. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

The next time I woke up, Bill was carrying me back to his room. As we passed a few curtains, I saw pink tingeing the horizon and knew it was almost dawn.

He sat me down in the bed and pulled the covers up to my shoulders. He placed a kiss on my forehead and I turned on my back to look up at him.

"Did Chow come back?" I asked sleepily.

Bill nodded. "Yes. He said he lost Eric's scent completely around your house. He went around the house but that was it. His scent was gone. It is almost as if…well, it's as if he's disappeared into thin air." He said.

"So, you're gonna find him?"

"I will try. Good morning, Sookie." He said, kissing my forehead again before he left the room.

I knew he was going to his place in the hall downstairs where he slept during the day. I rolled over on my side and pulled the blanket up closer to my neck before falling asleep again.

I woke up yet again for the final time and looked over at the clock on Bill's nightstand. It read 11: 42 a.m. Sighing, I went to take a shower and get myself ready for the day.

I put on some jean shorts and a white tank top. I slid my feet into some flip flops and pulled my hair up into a ponytail, deciding I would wash my hair today.

I got in my car and drove it over to my house. I was slightly surprised to see Reed (or Viktor as I'd recently learned it) already working on the house.

What surprised me the most was that he was a vampire outside in the sun, working on a house. Then, I noticed that he was wearing a long sleeved shirt and gloves, along with some pants and high work boots.

There was a towel around his neck and a large work hat on top of his head. I noticed, too, that he was wearing large dark sunglasses. He was taking every precaution against getting burned in the sun, though I could see a little smoke coming from a bare spot on his neck.

"Mornin'!" I yelled, getting out of my car and closing the car.

Viktor turned and smiled at me, though I couldn't see his eyes through the dark sunglasses. He waved at me from his place at the saw. He was cutting a rather large slab of wood while directing his men to start digging the foundation.

"Good morning, Ms. Stackhouse." He called out over the loudness of the saw.

"You won't happen to have some water I can use to wash my car, would you?" I asked.

Victor turned off the saw and walked toward me. I noticed he wiped his forehead as he came over, probably to make me think he was really hot in this sun.

"I should. We fixed the plumbing already so you should be able to run some from that well we dug for you." Viktor said.

He'd dug a well?

"Why did you dig a well?" I asked.

"Just in case you need some water, you can come out and get it. We figured out there's a small amount of water under your house and there was enough between that and your house to dig a well. Just get some from there. One of my men should have a plastic bucket around here somewhere." He said.

I thanked him just as one of his men handed me a bucket. I walked over to the well and quickly got some water, all the while thinking how efficient this was. I reminded myself to thank Viktor later.

I walked back over to my car and opened the trunk, taking out the car washing supplies I always kept back there. I put home soap in the bucket and swished the sponge around before I began washing the car.

I hummed to myself, gasping every now and then when some water got onto my clothes, as I washed the car. I was reaching across the windshield, trying to wipe the left side of it when I heard the roar of a truck coming up the driveway.

I spun around and saw Alcide getting out of his car. Rolling my eyes, I turned back around and resumed washing my car. I rinsed off the window shield and made ready to rinse the hood when I felt a touch on my shoulder.

I jumped from surprise and spilled the water all over my shirt. I spun around again and noticed Alcide's attention had gone from my face to my chest. I looked down at my shirt which the front part of which was now completely doused in water before looking back up at him.

"I'm pretty sure my face is up here." I said coldly.

Alcide blinked a few ties, shaking his head before looking at me directly. "Sorry."

"Right. What do you want?" I asked, unimpressed.

"I came to apologize to you about—"

"Bye." I said, turning back to my car.

"But, Sookie, you didn't even listen—"

"Goodbye, Alcide!" I yelled, spinning, and glaring daggers at him. "I don't wanna talk to you, alright? Go away!"

Alcide conceded and gave me a sad sorrowful look, one I ignored, before he got back in his truck and drove away.

Cussing and mumbling under my breath, I pulled the wet t-shirt over my head and sat it on the roof of my car which was dry. My intention was to let it dry in the sun. Viktor's men were ogling me like they'd never seen a chick with in a bra before.

"What the hell are you staring at?" I barked at them. They fumbled and quickly returned to their work, though I knew from all their thoughts that they were still thinking about me.

I saw Viktor give me a humorous smile before he got back to sawing. I couldn't help the small smile that crossed my face.

When my shirt dried and my car had, too, I decided to drive over to Merlotte's. I hadn't gone since my first night back in Bon Temps, which seemed a lifetime away.

I pulled my hair tie out and set it in the armrest before getting out of my car.

When I walked into Merlotte's, it was around 3p.m. which meant it was lunch time. It was quieter than it was at night, which I always considered a good thing.

I saw Tara sitting down behind the bar with two baby seats on either side of her and a little girl of about two years old sitting on her lap. These were her children.

I walked behind the bar and stood near her. She was holding a calculator in one hand and bouncing the toddler on her knee steadily. I noticed the child was asleep. I took it the older one was Candace and the babies were Kendrick and Cassidy.

"Busy?" I asked.

Tara jumped, slightly startled. "Girl, you can't be scarin' a black woman like that! That's how people get cut!" she said with a slight smile.

We laughed simultaneously. I picked up Kendrick's baby seat and sat on the stool it was resting on, setting the seat on the bar. I rocked it back and forth to keep him asleep.

"I haven't seen you in a while. How're things goin'?" I asked.

Tara sighed. "Crazy. Sam hasn't gotten any sleep at all and won't let me help me with the twins. He says, 'Darlin', you're too beautiful to be wakin' up in the middle of the night like this.' And I hate when he does that cause I feel useless." Tara said, setting the calculator on the bar.

"Tara, girl, you're lucky he's willing to do that for you. It means he cares a lot about you." I replied.

Tara smiled wistfully to herself, playing with the ring on the finger before she looked back up at me.

"You think you and Bill will ever get married?" she asked.

I was taken aback by the question. I didn't even know she knew Bill and I were together again, if that's what we were. My eyes widened considerably.

"I-I don't know, Tara. Maybe. I would like to, but I don't know. I'm not even sure if we're together or not. I just—I'm happy where I am right now. If we get married, fine. If not, then fine. But I guess it's up to him."

Tara nodded. "I'm glad ya'll are back together again. It makes the world seem, I don't know, halfway right again." She said.

I smiled and hugged her. For the next few hours, we talked about everything. She told me some funny stories involving Candace, Kendrick, and Candace. I told her about everything that happened with David, Rachel, Bill, and my house.

She was surprised to have learned this, as she thought she would've known about it. But nevertheless, she promised me that she, Sam, and Lafayette would be at David's funeral the next day. It comforted me to talk about everything that had happened the past couple of days. Finally, I decided it was time for me to leave. I had planned to go visit Jason before going home.

_**A/N: Well, guys? What did you think happened to Eric? Did Eric **_**really **_**murder David? If so, why? Reviews and subscribe, friends! Also, a little treat for being good readers! The Season 3 trailer!**_

_**.com/watch?v=y3F2v3yrmi0&feature=player_embedded**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: No reviews last chapter. :-( Seriously, guys? Okay, moving on, less than 2 weeks till Season 3! Happy happy happy! By the way, the first reviewer for this chapter gets a hint at what happens with the story! On to the story, comrades!**_

_**Chapter Song: Hometown Glory and Chasing Pavements by Adele**_

Waking up the next day was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Even though David's funeral would be at 9p.m, the services were for 7p.m. I should've spent all day getting ready. I should've been cooking. I should've been calling someone on the phone. I should've gone over to see what my house was starting to look like. I didn't do any of that.

All I could do was cry.

I'd thought that all my tears had gone, that I had no more to cry. Apparently, I was wrong. There was so much going on. Eric was missing. David was dead. I currently had no house.

I realized in that moment that my life was at the bottom of the barrel. I immediately felt selfish for trying to block everything out by being with Bill for the past 3 days. I felt all sorts of guilty.

I was curled up on the sofa, a sea of tissues littering the floor, crying my lungs out, when I heard a knock on the door. I got up, sniffling, and still wiping tears away with my hands.

I opened the door and saw no one there. Frowning, I looked around and still saw nothing. Suddenly, a breeze came through the doorway and I looked down.

There was a torn piece of paper lying on the old hardwood floor. Closing the front door, I bent down and picked up the note, turning it over in my hands.

There was some kind of unidentifiable chain scratch writing on it, like the note from my car but something told me they weren't the same.

_It wasn't me. I am in trouble. Locked away._ The note said.

I didn't know what to say or do. I felt a twisting in my stomach. Everything was screaming at me that this was Eric who had sent this note, that he was indeed in trouble.

But with my prior discoveries about what he had done and the current situation I was in, I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment.

Sighing, I walked back to the sofa and continued crying, hoping that I wouldn't have any tears left for the funeral. I couldn't let anyone else see me cry.

I wasn't sure how long I went on for before I looked at the clock again. It was almost 6:30 in the evening. I dragged myself heavily up to Bill's room to get dressed.

I dug the black dress out of one of the drawers in Bill's room. Ironically, it was the same one I'd worn to my grandmother's funeral almost six and half years ago.

It was a lot tighter on me than I'd remembered, but I wasn't paying any attention at the moment. I left my hair hanging and slid my feet into some black flats before I decided to leave for the cemetery.

"We are gathered here today in our time of bereavement to remember David Isaiah Livingston. He left us too soon. But in the time that he was here, he lit up the hearts of many. And here to say just a few words about him, Ms. Sookie Stackhouse." Father Fredrick said solemnly.

Tara squeezed my hand reassuringly and I somehow found myself walking up to the podium. I could hear the wind softly rustling through the grass as the light of the full moon shone through on the small crowd that had gathered.

For a few minutes, I just stood there, observing everyone who'd had the courtesy and care to come out. Lafayette was there in a black suit, looking charming as always. Bill was there, of course, dressed in a dark dress shirt and slacks.

Tara, who wore a simple black dress, was holding Kassidy in her arms, rocking her gently while staring at me. Sam, who wore a dark grey suit, was trying to get a whining Kendrick to keep quiet. Part of me smiled slightly at that.

Even Jessica was there, too. I hadn't seen her in years, and I hadn't even asked Bill what had happened to her. She was wearing a black dress with short bell sleeves that came to her knees. Her fiery red hair was in an up-do which I'd never seen on her. Despite being turned at seventeen years old, she somehow looked more mature.

Jason was next to her in a simple black suit looking almost as solemn as me. He was wearing a black cap, which I didn't fault him for at all. No one in Bon Temps, he told me, had ever seen him without hair ever since he'd found out about his cancer.

There were only a select handful of people here but it warmed some part of me just to know that even though more than half of these people had never truly known David, they cared. And that brought me to at least say _something_.

"I don't know what to say. I didn't prepare a speech for this. In fact, the notion never even crossed my mind. I spent all day today cryin', thinkin' that maybe by this time today, I wouldn't have anymore tears to cry," I began, hot tears already forming behind my eyes.

"But I can feel right now…that I…was wrong."

The breaks in my sentence were because it was becoming harder for me to speak with a huge lump in my throat. I didn't want to cry. I refused to. But I knew I would, no matter how hard I tried not to.

"Death…is never…an easy thing. But when it seems like it happened too early, to someone who…didn't deserve it, all you can do…is blame yourself…like I did. If I did this then maybe this would've happened or…if I did that then that would've happened. Whether they're young or old, you can never…stop asking _why_,"

"He was…a beautiful person, even if I didn't know him that long. He may have never…known it…but he changed me. He always wanted to…learn more…about everything around him and…that never ceased to…amaze me,"

"You never know just how much…someone means to you, or how much…they really affected you, until they're gone…from your life. When I lost David, I didn't have…a home to go back to, nothin'…to haunt me,"

"But I still have his memory. I am always…reminded of David…everywhere…I look. It is when I see the sunrise, the sunset, and everything else…that is beautiful in the world…that I remember David." I said.

At this point, I could see there wasn't a dry eye in the place, except for Bill. Jessica's face remained stoic, though the two lines of ruby red running down her cheeks were a sign of how she truly felt. If everyone else wasn't full on crying, their eyes were getting there.

I sighed before I finished, a few more tears tumbling down my face. "When I see…everything good and right…in the world, I know…David is never…truly gone. He's always gonna to be right here," I said, holding my hand over my chest. "He's not goin' anywhere."

They clapped softly, the sound somehow fitting into the solemn mood of the cemetery. I wiped a few more tears from my eyes with the handkerchief Sam handed to me when he saw me.

"Next, to say a few more words, Ms. Jessica Hamby-Compton." Father Fredrick said.

To say I was surprised was an understatement. I had seen Jessica sitting down but when she stood there at that podium, she suddenly seemed older and more mature than I would've ever thought possible. And for a funeral, she looked absolutely stunning.

"Good evenin', everyone." She said. Her voice was no longer the whiny voice I remembered but more the voice of someone who'd done a lot of growing up over the years.

"I'm not one for sayin' much at funerals but I figured this little angel deserved it." This got her some chuckles from the crowd.

"Even though I'm a vampire now and I only remember a little bit about my human life, I do remember when my mama brought home my little brother Nathan. He was a tiny lil thing, not much bigger than a loaf a bread. Nothing was wrong with him. He was perfect,"

"I was about 11 years old when I came home one day from school, and Mama was sleepin' on the sofa. I had homework to do so I went in my room and was there for a few hours. I decided to get up and go check on lil Nathan," she started off. I could see the ruby red pooling behind her eyes.

"I went in the room and I cut on the light. I peered over in his crib and his lil face was…blue. I picked him up and I noticed that a little piece of the blanket had gotten tangled round his neck. I tried to take it off, but it didn't work," she said, just as the ruby tears quickly fell. "He was gone before I could do anything."

Silence reigned in the cemetery as Jessica tried to gather her thoughts. It had taken a lot for her to recall that and I knew she needed a little time.

"The point is: Nathan was young, too young to have died the way he did and when he did. For a long time, I thought it was my fault. I knew it wasn't, that what had happened couldn't have been stopped, but some part of me felt like I was to blame,"

"But, ever since I became a vampire, I've learned somethin'. There are those who aren't meant to die and there are those who are. Those who are meant to die, it is because God has made it so." She said.

"We can try and try to wonder why David and Nathan were taken away from us so soon. But in the end, when you realize the profound affect they had on your soul, on your heart, and on your life, you realize what God's purpose was for them,"

"Though they were only in our lives for such a brief period, their purposes on Earth were made clear. And we can only hope that someday, we'll actually understand it all."

I felt the tears running down my face before I even knew they were there. Somehow, I'd known Jessica was talking to me. I think everyone knew that. But I felt a surge of gratitude push through me at her words. They meant a lot to me.

The rest of the funeral went by rather quickly. Somehow, everyone had brought white lilies to put on David's coffin as it was lowered into the ground.

I stood on the edge, staring down as the casket was lowered slowly. I felt the tears pooling and I felt a comforting hand grasp mine firmly. I looked over and saw Jessica standing there smiling reassuringly at me.

"Thank you." I whispered to her before I turned and walked away.

I walked slowly to my car and opened the door, sliding numbly into the driver's seat. I turned on the radio and pushed my seat back as far as it would go. Silent tears ran down my face as I stared up at the ceiling of the car. I heard the passenger door open and I looked over and saw Jessica getting in.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey."

"Are you alright?" she asked, genuine concern in her eyes.

I shook my head. "I really don't know anymore, Jessica. I just don't know."

Jessica sighed softly as she gazed at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry all this happened to you, Sookie. You and David didn't deserve this."

I nodded slowly as I took in her words. Silence stretched between us for a few moments before I spoke again. "Were you here when Bill and Rachel got together?"

Jessica looked surprised for a few moments before she answered. "I was."

"How did they get together?"

"She worked at Fangtasia, actually. Bill went in there to talk to Eric about somethin' and I just kinda was out there. She worked the bar. At the time, her hair was jet black and her eyes were green. Bill came out and ordered a True Blood and it just took off from there. One minute he wouldn't stop pinin' over you and the next minute, this chick's movin' in our house."

"Why _did_ you leave?"

"Rachel was mostly the reason but there were other things, too. She was out one night doin' somethin' and it was just me and Bill at home. Bill started movin' my stuff around, sayin' David's stuff could be in my room. I just snapped,"

"I yelled at him and told him the only reason he was fallin' for Rachel was because he needed someone to replace you, that he needed someone to make him feel useful and loved. He didn't like that. He told me if I didn't like Rachel, I could just leave so I told him I would and I was never comin' back. He also _freed_ me that night." Jessica explained.

"So her hair was never blonde and she never had blue eyes?" I asked.

"Not as long as I'd known her. But she got home early and overheard my argument with Bill. When she looked around the house and saw pictures of _you_, she felt like _she_ needed to change herself, otherwise Bill wouldn't love her truly." Jessica replied.

I shook my head. "That's sad." I said, with little emotion in my voice.

"It is. But when the Vice-Magister sent me down here to look for Rachel and I couldn't find her, I figured out that her son David must still be here. I could smell the fire comin' from near your house; I called Eric and told him he had to get up here. I told him your entire house was on fire and that somethin' was wrong. I told him there might be a child inside. He told me he'd get there as soon as he could."

"So _you_ were the one who called Eric?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"So, it _wasn't_ him who set my house on fire and took David out the bed, then." I thought out loud.

"_What_?" Jessica asked, shock riding her voice.

I sighed and told her the entire story of what happened that night, from the house being on fire to David being carried out of the house.

"And you thought _Eric_ did it?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah."

"That's crazy! I can tell you for certain that Eric was nowhere around your house that night until he came runnin'. I would've picked up on his scent somehow." Jessica said.

That left me in deep thought. If Eric wasn't the one who'd set my house on fire and took David that night, then who did it? I couldn't think of anyone at the moment but a sudden thought occurred to me.

I had to find out what happened to Eric.

I turned back to Jessica, wheels turning in my head. "Jessica, I might have to go to Fangtasia tonight." I said.

She nodded resignedly. "I figured you might want to do that. Let's go." She said, smiling just slightly. 

I laughed to myself and started the car. We drove out of the cemetery, ignoring the strange and puzzled looks we were getting from everyone else.

"Have you eaten at all today?" Jessica asked when we got on the highway.

"No. Not really. Just some Ramen and orange juice."

"Well, we should handle that when we leave Fangtasia, then."

The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable chatter and the occasional silence. Jessica was good company and I now considered her a very good friend.

We pulled up to Fangtasia and I knew something was off. "Jess, I don't feel right. Somethin's wrong here." I said, slight panic in my voice.

"Let's go see. Stay behind me."

We got out of the car and walked slowly to the front door. There should've been people lined up outside but there weren't. Pam should've been guarding the door, but she wasn't. Jessica pushed the door open slowly and I followed her inside.

I felt everything in my stomach come up and I couldn't control it. There was vomit on the floor now, added to what had made me throw up in the first place. Bodies. Dead bodies. Lots and _lots_ of dead bodies.

I had recognized a few of them as people I'd seen once or twice in my ventures out to Fangtasia every now and then. The problem here was that not only were they dead; their throats were ripped out.

"We should go to the office." I said, afraid I might throw up again. There was blood everywhere. I was looking down at my feet, trying not to step on bodies or blood, when Jessica tugged at my arm.

"Look." She said, pointing.

I followed her gaze and noticed there was a message on the wall. In blood. There was suddenly no doubt in my mind that Eric's disappearance and this massacre were linked together.

_Curiosity killed the cat_ was what was written on the wall. I swallowed the vomit that threatened to come up again.

"Let's keep going." Jessica said.

We walked in silence to Eric's old office which was probably Pam's now. We kept our eyes and ears opening case something was amiss. We got to the office and saw that it wasn't locked.

We opened the door and saw everything still in place, except that Pam was nailed to the wall with silver chains over her wrists and ankles. She was hissing and spitting in pain as rubies came down her cheeks.

I quickly ran over and untied the chains from Pam. Jess tried her hardest to take the nails out. Pam collapsed from the wall onto the floor.

"Pam, you're okay now." She said, rushing to her side. I slowly turned Pam over on her back.

"Who did this to you?" I asked.

Pam took deep breaths that shouldn't have been necessary before she said anything.

"I can't…he's going to kill me."

"Please, Pam. Tell us. We have to know who could have done this. There is a pile of dead humans out there!" I said.

Pam let another red tear fall down her face which was contorted and twisted in agonizing pain.

"Who did it, Pam?" Jessica asked gently.

Pam spit out blood. "Bill."

_**A/n: WOAH! So, I really had no idea I was going to write that. I have idle hands. Hehehe. What do you think about this latest development? Did Bill really do it? Does he have something to do with Eric's disappearance? Reviews are appreciated, people!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Wow...I know I haven't updated in like five months but I've been writing this chapter for a while on my Blackberry and some crazy things happening. So so sorry for the wait :/ I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own True Blood :(**_

"Did she just say 'Bill'?" Jessica asked, looking at me. I nodded numbly before looking back at Pam.

"Pam, are you sure it was Bill?" I asked,trying to stay composed.

She spat out blood and hissed as Jessica removved the chains from her body. "That boy...Bill's boy..." Pam said as she tried to stand. Jessica helped her over to the sofa and we all sat down.

"Small? Really young?" Jessica took the words out of my mouth.

"That's...that's the one."

"Pam, that's impossible. David is dead. And even if he was still alive, he's only four years old!" I said in utter disbelief.

"You say that like it changes something. You can turn a child to vampire, you know. That kid was vampire and...something else. He's been around Eric, too. Eric's scent was all over him." Pam rasped.

"Okay, so we know two things for certain. David isn't dead and he has something to do with Eric's disappearance. I'll see if I can catch his scent somewhere around." Jessica concluded before leaving the office for a short while.

She came back moments later looking fairly proud of herself.

"I got his scent. Sookie, I have to make sure you stay safe. I want you to take Pam by Bill's house and keep her there until I call you." Jessica explained.

I looked down at Pam who looked like she was about to pass out. "Just be careful, Jessica. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't go too close. I just need to know where this little devil is. I'll call you when I'm on my way back." Jessica replied.

And just like that, she was gone.

As I drove back to Bill's house, with Pam in the back seat, I couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right.

I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was lying to me, but for the life of me I just couldn't figure out who it was.

We got to Bill's house in record time. He was waiting on the porch for me. "I need your help. I can't carry Pam by myself." I said as I opened the back door.

He didn't say anything but helped me bring her inside. While Pam lay on the sofa in Bill's living room, I walked into the kitchen, I walked into the kitchen , waiting for Jessica to call me back.

A few moments later, my phone ranng. "Hello?"

"Dude, you gotta get outta there now! Its Bill! He's the one doing all this! Look, Sookie, he's been lying to you. I'm on my way. There's a lot to explain." Jessica said quickly before hanging up.

Fear rose up in my chest. The hair on my neck stood on edge. I spun around and saw Bill standing behind me. "Who was that?"

"Oh, that was just Tara. She was asking if I could babysit tonight. I'm going over there now." I lied, praying Bill would be dumb enough to believe me.

He was.

"Drive safely." he said as I got in my car.

I quickly texted Jessica, telling her to meet me at Merlotte's. I got there quickly. No one was there understandably. It was a Sunday night and Sam never kept the place open on Sundays now.

I parked my car and waited for Jessica to come. Every moment seemed like an eternity. Finally, there was a knock on my passenger window. I looked over and saw Jessica motioning for me to open the door. I unlocked it and she climbed in, slamming it shut behind her.

"Sookie, Bill has been lying to you. He turned David and I'm willing to bet you that when your house was on fire, he took David from your bed and put him in your basement. He was trying to turn him and when you sent him to go look in the house, he lied and said he couldn't find him.

"But he wasn't expecting Eric to show up and when he did, it threw a wrench in his plans. Eric suspected something wasn't right and he knew where David was. So, when Bill knew you began to suspect that David was murdered, he knew he would have to get Eric out of the picture."

I was trying to comprehend all this. I kept trying to understand that Bill was behind all this. But I couldn't. How could I ever look at him the same after this? Perhaps this was what he was trying to do all along.

"Jessica," I said. "I need you to call Victor Tarasov."

"The Vice Magister?"

"The very same. Jess, I gotta feeling things are about to get real bad. And we're gonna want someone around we actually can trust."

"Sookie, you have any idea the implications you are putting upon William Compton?" Victor asked when Jess and I drove to Shreveport that night. We were sitting in Victor's office. He knew that I knew who he was now.

"Yes, I know what I'm doing. That's why we need your help. What's happening in Area 5 is an absolute travesty." I said in reply.

He looked at me long and hard before answering. "You'll have to go in as bait."

I didn't blink. Of course, I had known it would come to this. I would try my best to sneak in but if that didn't work, I would stay prisoner for as long as I could. jess and Victor drovve me to the wood where Jess had stopped. She knew that Eric and David were in these woods. I would be able to find them with my telepathy.

"Be careful, Sookie." Victor said.

Then they were gone.

Every step I took seemed like an explosion. I kept silent as I weaved my way through tree branched and mud. Suddenly, I picked up on another mind somewhere near me. then, pain exploded near the base of my skull and everything went black.

_**A/N: Very, very short, I know...first update in 5 months and all...sorry, guys...the next chapter will be up probably the week of Christmas. Long wait. Believe me, I'm not happy about it either. Reviews are hoped for.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Okay, so I got a review last chapter that said that if Bill was the bad guy, the reader was going to unsubscribe. Here is my thing: I will make my stories the way I want them to be and if making Bill the bad guy is better for the story, then that's what I'll do. But I say that to say this: you have no idea what will happen in my stories, I do. And if you don't like what I write, why are you reading? Will Bill be the bad guy? Yes, but its not what he intends to do. As we all know, Bill has good intentions but carries them out the wrong way. And to the people who gave me good reviews, I appreciate it. I also appreciate the constructive criticism you guys give me. End of note.**_

_**Song for the Chapter: In My Veins by Andrew Belle**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own True Blood :(**_

"Sookie, pelase wake up."a voice kept saying. I wanted to so bad, but my head hurt so much I couldn't exert the energy to do so.

"Please." the voice hissed.

I dragged my eyes open, though it seemed to take an eternity, and saw a sight for truly sore eyes. Eric Northman.

I tried to sit up very, very slowly, trying to deter the pain building in my head. A cell. That's where we were. Eric was nailed on the wall, silver chains wrapped around him. His skin practically sizzled.

"What...what happened to you?" I asked.

"I was kidnapped after I left your house thatnight. Bill is-"

"I know, Eric." I replied, finally being able to stand up. I wobbled a bit and fell down.

"Don't move," Eric hissed, barely audible. "Someone's coming."

I closed my eyes and evened out my breathing so that, to the onlooker, I would appear to be asleep.

"I see you are holding up well, Eric. But once you are finally dead, the entire state of Louisiana will be mine. And Sookie and I will never have to see your face again."

It was Bill.

"You think this will solve everything? I can assure you, Bill, that won't happen. And you believe Sookie will ever want to look you in your face after this? Happy living, Bill." Eric hissed.

Bill laughed darkly and it sounded absolutely evil. "Well, she won't have a choice. I she wants to live, of course."

"Every human has a choice, Bill. And she will want nothing to do with you when she learns of what you havve done." Eric hissed angrily.

"And what makes you think she _will_ ever learn of it? The way CHow hit her, when she wakes up, she won't remember a thing." Bill retorted.

I couldn't believe any of this. Bill actually had someone try to kill me after claiming he loved me. My heart ached inside. I would never be able to trust another man. Or anyone else for that matter. And I knew Eric could feel it.

"I will." i murmured quietly, opening my eyes.

Eric and Bill looked at me. Bill looked surprised and shocked. Eric, however, looked devious. he had a plan and I caught on to it.

"Sookie, I-"

"Don't talk, Bill. I have suspected you might be involved in this for quite some time. And I can promise you that death is a much more preferable option than being with you." I said slowly and deliberately.

Bill looked shocked, as if I was the one who betrayed him. "Sookie, you have no idea what you're saying. Your head is-"

"I'M NOT FUCKING CRAZY!" I yelled angrily.

Eric looked satisfied I'd done what I was supposed to.

"I did not say-"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING!" I screamed, backing up toward Eric.

I reached behind me and pulled a nail from his left foot. He hissed slightly, which Bill would have chalked up to the fact that he was draped in silver. I pulled the other one and glanced furtively behind me. His feet were loose.

"Sookie, this is for your own good. You must believe me."

"That's all you've ever told me, Bill. 'It's all for your own good.' Was cheating on me, using me, and trying to kill me for my own good?" I hissed before I turned around and ripped the nails from Eric's hands. He fell from the wall and the chains fell loose from his body.

He got up slowly.

Bill looked pissed now. "What the hell do you think you are doing? You think you can leave me? You think you can take away from me what you have no right to?"

I was in no way prepared for what happened next.

Bill backhanded me so hard, I flew across the cell and into the stone wall. He was in front of me in a flash, his hands wrapped tightly around my neck. My air supply was going and spots were beginning to appear around my vision.

"Oh, _hell_ no!"

"Mr. Compton, by the Order of the Authority, remove your hands from Ms. Stackhouse immediately."

Jess and Victor.

Bill dropped me and I collapsed to the ground. Eric ran to me. My wrist was bleeding. He still had burns everywhere and I knew what I would have to do in order for him to fight Bill.

"Take it." I said, beginning to lose consciousness.

"No. I can;t. Not when you're in this stae. I won't." he replied defiantly.

"It doesn't matter to me, Eric. Just take it." I answered as black began to appear before my eyes.

Just then I heard a clicking sound and moments later liquid began to leak into my mouth. His blood. I swallowed reflexively and the black slowly started to disappear. My head hurt a little less, and I could see things clearly now. I sat up and gave Eric my wrist.

"Go ahead." I said stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes and took blood from me for a few moments before he finally stopped. We both looked and saw that Jess and Victor were attempting to wrestle Bill to the ground but that was beginning to look impossible.

Eric moved from me and over to them. Bill was thrashing about. Eric snatched Bill up and he and Victor held him to the wall by his neck. Bill's eyes locked with mine.

"I tried to tell myself you could never mean anything to me, and for a while I believed it. But I love you, Sookie. And nothing in this world could ever change that. I am so sorry for all the pain I caused you, all the hurt you incurred because of me. Please, forgive me." he pleaded.

"I forgive you." I whispered. Eric let Bill go, disbelief in his eyes.

Bill ran to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, holding onto him, crying into him, because I knew he wasn't going to make it out of here alive. He pulled away from me and looekd at me with pain in his eyes. "I do not know who I am anymore."

Victor looked slightly sympathetic. He sighed quietly. "I am sorry, Mr. Compton. You have comitted treason against the King of Louisiana. The penalty, of course, is death."

Bill didn't object. Neither did I, but my excuse was different. I couldn't move. Tears blurred my vision as Victor's stake found its way into Bill's heart.

He exploded two seconds later, a pile of red mush lying where he used be. I fell to the ground, crying.

It was over.

All of it was over.

And Bill was dead now.

_**A/N: Well? Do you like it? Some of you won't but I like it and that's what counts. Reviews are hoped for :D**_


	15. Author's Note

_**So, a lot of you hated the last chapter because Bill "died"./ if you really thought he died, you're dead wrong. But I guess those of you who decided not to read the story anymore because it didn't go YOUR way will never know that. Also, people said that they found it hard to believe that I had this planned out. Well, let me tell you this: I did. THe only reason for the 5 month absence was because I had to figure out a way to write it. And those of you who say I misled you by not mentioning it was a Bill bashing fic, excuse me if I wasn't accomadating you. I'm unregrettably sorry that my story didn't appeal to you. Sorry :)**_

_**I said all that to say this: to all the readers who have stuck with me, thank you so very much. And to those who haven't: you have no idea what is about to happen ;D. **_

_**Also, I will continue writing this story till the very last chapter whether I have 800 readers or 0. I know how much I put into this story and if you don't see it, that's not my problem.**_

_**Again, thank you to those who have stuck with me through this entire thing. Shout out to my best friend/sister Julia who has helped me with the planning. I love you, girly, and this story wouldn't be possible without you, my laptop, Coldplay, and Damien Rice. **_

_**Next chapter will be up during Christmas Break :D**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**A/N: No note. Song for the chapter is All THis TIme by OneRepublic.**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own True Blood...**_

Jessica drove me to the house she and Eric were sharing at the moment. It was two stories high, painted a dark beige color, and had black shutters on the windows. On the top floor was a wraparound porch which all the doors on the second floor went out to.

I didn't say anything as Jessica led me into the house and upstairs to one of the guest rooms. I didn't say anything as she ran bath water for me and gave a pair of pajamas she'd bought but never wore.

I moved in a catatonic state, not really aware of what I was doing or thinking. I suddenly found myself outside on the porch, sitting in a lawn chair with a blanket wrapped rightly around me.

I looked up at the night sky with stars littered across it. I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest. "Gran, I know you're up there...and I hope you're listening because there's so much I need to tell you."

And I told everything that had happened ever since I came back to Bon Temps. It felt good to tell her even if she wasn't physically there. I knew she was listening.

When I finished, I sat back in the chair, my eyes closing slowly. Moments later, I felt myself being carried and I then felt the soft bed underneath me.

Sometime later, I woke up and it was 11:21 a.m. But it didn't look like it. The sky was dark as night and rain pounded against the windows. But something was different.

Someone was in the bed next to me.

I panicked slightly.

"It's only me." a voice said.

Eric.

I trembled in fear and from the cold. I moved as far as possible from him.

"I don't know how long it will be before you will ever trust me when I tell you that I will never hurt you. I would never use you, cheat on you, nor raise my hand to you. No person in the world deserves that." he said.

My heart, broken and wary as it was, screamed out to trust him, that he was different, that he wasn't like Bill. But my mind screeched that I would never be able to trust another man with my heart ever again, that I was just as Bill had made me believe I was: nothing without him.

"Sookie, please. At least, look at me." he pleaded.

I turned over on my side to face him and pulled my legs up. "Is it over now?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," Eric said. "Yes, it is. We were able to find David and he has been...eradicated. But Sookie, there is something you must know."

I stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"Bill isn't dead."

I blinked and felt my heart rate speed up. I felt pressure in my chest and in my head. THen everything was black.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I tried to sit up and did so slowly. I looked over and saw Victor, Eric, and Jessica in the room. Jessica was reading and Victor and Eric were talking. I blinked and groaned slightly.

"What happened?"

Eric, Victor, and Jess immediately looked at me.

"You passed out. But the doctor's are keeping you for observation for the next two days. They think you may have had a panic/anxiety attack." Jess explained.

I nodded slowly and snuggled deeper under the blankets. Jess tugged at her lip lightly. "Eric, why don't you let me talk to her."

Eric nodded and he and Victor left the room.

Jess sat on the edge of the bed. "So, Eric told you..."

"Yeah, he did. What I don't get is how."

"Well, when we killed David, we went back to his house to make sure Pam was alright. We opened the door and she and Bill were sitting on the couch, talking. We almost couldn't believe it but when we looked for Chow and saw he was missing, Eric figured it out. He'd saud that Chow was able to change into other people. Apparently, the real Bill's been out of town for a couple of days. Chow took that opportunity to pretend he was Bill so he could kill you."

"But why? I don't understand."

My head was spinning and spinning and I knew if I didn't steady my breathing, I might have another panic attack.

"None of us could figure out why he would want to kill you. It just doesn't make any sense why he'd feel the need to. All that matters now is that you're safe, Pam's safe, and the real Bill is alive and well."

I sighed and placed a hand to my throbbing temple. This was all just beginning to be too much. I realized then that I wanted no part in the supernatural world anymore. I needed to go someplace and start fresh.

"He wants to see you, Sookie. But he's worried sick that you'll start screaming or have another attack. He's making himself crazy."

I nodded softly. "Tell him to come in."

Jess left and Bill returned to take her place seconds later. He looked distraught, worried, panicked, sad, regretful, relieved, and a whole host of other emotions. He stayed near the door looking apprehensive.

"I'm going back to New York." I said quietly. "I just need to call Theresa and see if she'll mind."

Bill looked on at me. "I...I don't want you to leave, Sookie. I just...you just got back. Please. We...you and I can go somewhere else if you want and we'll never have to see this place again."

I smiled sadly at him. "You are a wonderful man, Bill. And one day you'll make a girl real happy. But it can't be me. I can't take this world anymore. I may never escape from it but I need to escape from here. Bon Temps has too many memories for me."

A ruby red tear escaped from Bill's eyes and he immediately looked down, like he didn't want me to see. "I see."

He was hurt. I knew it. He didn't only hurt for himself, but he hurt for me, too. He despised the fact that he had unkowingly placed me in this world and that I now wanted to leave him and it behind.

"I don't blame you at all, Bill. I need you to know that. I will always have a place in my heart for you. But this...this life I'm leading here, it's a lie. And I can't do it anymore."

He nodded and smiled a very pained smile. "Well, I hope you have the life you always wanted. And I wish the best for you, you know. I will always be here...if you need me."

I smiled and he hugged me tightly. "I love you, Bill. You're a good man."

He smiled, gave me one last hug, and left.

_**A/N: I love it! Feeling good right now :D**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**A/N: So, I've decided to keep on truckin' with this story...with every chapter I write, I get more ideas for it. Thank you to all who continue to support and read !**_

_**Song for chapter: Comes and Goes by Greg Laswell**_

I got out of the hospital two days later. I decided that this time I would tell everyone where I was going. I didn't want anyone wondering where I went this time. Of course, everyone was sad that I was leaving again, but to me, it felt good that I was leaving for a better reason.

Jess and Eric had decided to rule Louisiana as queen _and_ king which was virtually unheard of. Victor had put a good word in for them with the Authority who had chosen to "look over" the whole Bill incident.

Sam and Tara were planning on moving to Shreveport to open up another restaurant along with Merlotte's. Kendrick and Kassidy were getting bigger by the day apparantly.

Jason was doing good so far. His cancer was gone, but he would have to visit the doctor every month to make sure of that. He had apparantly started seeing this girl from New Orleans named Lacine de Moines. She didn't really seem like his type to me, but opposites attract, I guess.

Pam was better and Eric had signed over Fangtasia to her.

Eric and Jess were now in New Orleans but were keeping their house outside of Shreveport for visitation purposes.

Alcide offered to help me with moving but I wanted to do it myself. Theresa said it was alright if I came to stay with her. She'd missed me, she said.

I carried out the last box to the moving truck, which would be driven to New York. I walked back to the house that had always been home to me for as long as I could remember. Everything was gone, except for the thigns that had always been here. Jason would be moving in with Lacine soon.

I sighed and locked the door. I looked over at the cemetary in the distance, where Gran was buried. Her body may have rested there, but I knew deep down that she was still in this house. I smiled to myself and got in my car.

"Ay, dios mio! You're finally here! Do you know how crazy I've been going without you?" I was attacked as soon as I knocked on the door.

Theresa Alandosa.

She was my polar opposite: long, dark, extremely curly hair and huge eyes the color of chocolate. Her skin was the color of cream coffee. She was only a few inches taller than me. Her chest and butt were bigger than mine, and so I wasn't used to the two of us going out and guys would be ogling her and not me.

She was fiery, outspoken, and extremely ambitious.

"It's good to see you again, girl. How's everything been?" I asked as I came inside.

"Everything has been terrible without you, honey, but the one bright spot is my new boyfriend, Gabriel. He's _Colombian_! And no, he's not a drug dealer." Theresa spilled in a long, big breath.

I smiled. "That's great! And the hospital?"

"Awesome! I already talked Evelyn into giving you your job back for your rotations. She's completely psyched about you coming back, mami."

I felt at home here, with Theresa. It was good having a best friend, one who didn't necessarily have problems. Not that Tara was a bad friend, but she was always hot and cold. THeresa wasn't like that.

I sighed to myself and told her the whole ordeal about what had happened back in Bon Temps. I didn't have to leave out a single detail either because Theresa's mother had been a Were.

When I finished, she looked at me with those wide brown eyes of hers. She didn't say anything for a couple of moments, but instead attacked me with a hug. She held onto me tight and didn't let go.

"I'm so thankful you're still alive. I would have gone crazy if something had happened to you."

I blinked back tears and held her even tighter. "I know. I just want to start fresh back here. No vampires, no Weres, no anything."

"And I know just hte way to do it. We're going out tonight."

_**A/N: Short, I know...but I'm in the process of planning out a new character :) Reviews would totally help.**_


	18. Another Author's Note

_**A/N: Okay so I decided to end the story here and I'm making a sequel...it's going to be called Nothing Goes As Planned. Alright, so I'm about to post that chapter up and I want this one to be a lot better than Wrong Kind of Place. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the next one. :)**_


End file.
